Super Smash Brothers: Mysteries of the Pure-Hearted Soul
by ML9614
Summary: Five years have passed since the fall of Tabuu, and the World of Trophies is now in a state of peace. The Smashers have settled down to enjoy this peace, but when a mysterious visitor arrives at the Smash Mansion, they are thrust back into action to combat a new evil unlike anything they have ever seen before. A grueling journey awaits the fighters... Rated T for safety reasons.
1. Prologue

Prologue

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**All official characters, locations, etc. (sans third-party material) are property of Nintendo. All original concepts (except for the Smash Mansion, which has been applied to numerous stories) belong to me.**

**WARNING: This story contains graphic violence (including gore), blood, profanity, dark themes, and some sexual overtones that will become more apparent later on. Read at your own risk.**

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_It has been said that there exists a group__…_

_A group created out of diverse characters from equally diverse worlds…_

_From the red-capped plumber from a world filled with Mushrooms and colorful creatures__…_

_To the famous Electric-type Pokémon that has captured the hearts of millions in its world…_

_Some were swordsmen__…_

_Some were hand-to-hand fighters__…_

_Some fought with futuristic weapons by their side__…_

_Still, others fought with pure magic…_

_Initially, many of them struggled to work with each other__…_

_But when their worlds almost collapsed at the hands of a powerful entity, t__hey were able to set aside differences and combine their powers into one force…_

_They were, and still are, a force to be reckoned with…_

_They will defend their lands until death…_

_They are… the Smashers__…_

* * *

He could not believe it.

He had strongly desired to take a flight outside to escape from this unending boredom, mainly for the purpose of reuniting with his buddies from his early days; he had even hoped to meet his love interest during the reunion. Or maybe, just maybe….

He wanted to fly just for the hell of it.

And he had just been denied that very chance.

The weather outside was too severe to even allow flights; a snow storm brought about not only poor visibility, which would be lethal when piloting a high-speed vehicle for obvious reasons, but also high winds. Those particular winds scattered the snow throughout the terrain like a shotgun shell spreading its pellets on the desired target. Whiter and whiter, the colors of the terrain gradually became one. The vibrant colors of the previous season were gone. Frost slowly crawled over the majority of the window; it, combined with the storm itself, was enough to obstruct most of the view of the outside world.

All this had left frustration in the mind of an ace pilot. He was best known for his sharp skills when it came down to piloting high-efficiency fighters known as Arwings, but he had also gained notoriety for his arrogant personality and rather frequent use of sarcasm. He was a member of a commando unit-for hire known only as Star Fox. A blue-feathered avian, he was recognizable by his jacket as well as the equipment that he had with him. Such equipment included a laser blaster and a device capable of reflecting projectiles, and his attire was completed by the presence of black-gray boots, red trousers, and a holster to house his main weapon.

His name was Falco Lombardi.

Falco paced around the room in frustration, praying that something interesting might pop up. Since the defeat of the powerful being known as Tabuu five years ago, alongside the entirety of the Subspace Army, things had truly quieted down. The World of Trophies was now in a state of peace, with almost no shard of conflict to be found. Even the more villainous fighters were more docile; since Tabuu's defeat, they had not attempted to plot anything truly dastardly against the heroes. Few of the Smashers had even gotten the time to realize this, but the now-distant events of the Subspace Emissary had shattered whatever conflict certain Smashers might have had with each other and created a great force to combat a common foe. It was indeed proof that the villains were at least capable of showing some good intentions, as they agreed, albeit reluctantly, to aid the heroes in the final struggle against the ruler of Subspace.

During the very disaster that almost consumed the worlds, Falco hoped that he would finally relax once Tabuu was defeated. But, now that the adventure was long gone, this new peace had, rather ironically, brought something other than relaxation.

It brought near-endless boredom.

"Well, this is just great," Falco whispered under his breath, still pacing around the room. "It's freaking snowing outside and I cannot even take a flight to visit my pals… Someone really needs to do me a favor and do something to keep this boredom from getting to me. I don't care what it is, just… anything!" The tone of his voice was marked with not only frustration, but also desperation. It seemed that his desire for adventure had become so strong that he was willing to allow a shred of danger to approach to the Smash Mansion in order to kill the boredom that currently surrounded him.

His constant wandering eventually guided him outside of his room. He was feeling no different out in the halls than he was in his room; no matter where he was at, the boredom was a stalking shadow that would simply not release him. Feeling hungry, he slouched his way to the mansion's main kitchen to grab himself a snack. As he attempted to do so, however, he noticed something unusual outside of the mansion.

"…?" Falco twisted towards one of the hallway's few windows. Due to the heavy frost buildup and the snow storm itself, it was very difficult for the avian pilot to even observe just what was near the mansion. He pressed himself against the window for a better view. Eventually, he was able to get a clear glance of the exterior.

The sight he received was a rather strange one; a figure was standing several meters away from the mansion walls. It was very still, almost as if it was frozen in place by the chilling climate. Falco could not get much detail on this mysterious person; all he was able to get was that this person was donning a brightly-colored cloak that almost seemed to blend in with the snow. The cloak obstructed the face, among other things, which completely overshadowed the person's identity. Falco was even unable to figure out the person's gender.

"Who is that guy?" he muttered to himself. But, before he could step away from the window to inform someone, the figure gradually began to fade away until it was one with the snow…

"Huh, it's probably just my imagination…" He continued towards the kitchen, now treating the figure's appearance as a one-off event. When he arrived at the kitchen, he approached the refrigerator and gently yanked the door open. As his eyes peered inward, he was faced with a decision.

"What should I get…" were the words that he spewed from his mouth as he was searching for something that might satisfy him for now. Near the bottom, a group of vegetables and fruits took up whatever space was available and filled it with a colorful variety, from apples to plums. Further up, there was a set of leftover cupcakes from Kirby's birthday party nearly two weeks ago, which was still good in a surprising sense, followed by a pack of sodas from the same party. On the door, there were items that could used to make a sandwich, including cheese and mustard. The rest of the food items were either too large or detested by Falco. With the variety considered, a minute soared by before he finally decided on what he was going to snack on.

"I think I'll settle for the apple," he quietly puffed as he grabbed an apple and closed the door. Within a matter of seconds, he found himself gnawing into the rose-colored fruit as he continued to pace rather aimlessly around the mansion. A half-hour later, he eventually traveled down the mansion's main stairway and into the main hall. The area itself was decorated to possess astonishing beauty; a sparkling chandelier hanged over the room above everything else, complete with a golden color, while the room was filled with unique designs that resembled what was featured in homes from the Victorian era. In three of the cardinal directions, there were three portraits: one of the powerful hand-like being known as Master Hand in the east, one of his less mentally stable counterpart, Crazy Hand, in the west, and one of all of the Smashers, current and former, in the north. The room featured different pathways that seemed to branch off into the various areas within the mansion. As he continued to chew, Falco peered out from one of the windows, once more reminded of the frustration of being unable to fly his Arwing due to severe weather conditions. He soon finished his apple and disposed of it into a nearby waste bin. He was about to keep pacing around the mansion, but froze in place as he noticed something outside the front yard. It was not long before he realized what was out there.

It was the same person that he witnessed from the hallways… once more, unmoving and obscured in terms of identity. Despite having a better viewpoint from where he was at, Falco still could not figure out just who that person was.

"What the hell…?" he gasped silently.

* * *

Later, during the evening, the Smashers gathered around in the dining area for dinner. Tonight's course: hot chicken soup served with bread and salad. Various Waddle Dees and Toads emerged from the kitchen doors to deliver the food for the hungry fighters. Warm steam emerged from the soups and gave comfort to the chilled fighters, something that the mansion's air conditioning system failed to provide. Once all the food was delivered, the Smashers began to consume their dinner. Most of the characters, like Mario, ate the food at a normal rate, but others, like the very hungry Bowser, simply chowed down viciously, showing little to no care for their manners. While he was eating his dinner, Falco stared at the surrounding lands from one of the windows in the area. At that point, he was reminded of that event…

That event involving the figure outside of the mansion…

The figure whose identity and intentions were unknown…

Falco tried to shake it off, but he simply could not do so. For whatever reason, it felt too… too important to not inform the others, especially since the figure had appeared on more than one occasion.

"Guys," he said. "I don't know if this is important, but there was something that I noticed outside of the mansion earlier today. "

"What was it?" Ike, the leader of the Greil Mercenaries, asked. The blue-haired mercenary was recognizable by his his ranger-class uniform, with tan trousers, darkened boots and shirt complete with an extra blue layer underneath the latter, and red scarf. Gauntlets were on both of his arms, and his hair was held up by a green, bandanna-like accessory. Also worth noting was his blessed blade of Ragnell, which was a powerful weapon capable of vanquishing even the strongest of foes. It was meant to be held with both hands, but the fearless hero was capable of holding it with just one.

"There was a person standing outside of the mansion wearing a very bright cloak; the cloak was just as bright as the snow outside, no joke. He, or she, was just standing still…"

"Had the person ever desired to enter the mansion?" Meta Knight, a mysterious warrior from the picturesque Dream Land, squeaked. His body was reminiscent to Kirby's, but he otherwise possessed a unique appearance. His uniform was decorated with a cape that had the ability to transform into wings and a mask that kept his face under complete obscurity. Besides that, he was also the wielder of the golden blade dubbed Galaxia.

"No clue, MK. I have no idea on why that person was out there, or who he or she even was. Later on, I noticed that person once more from the main hall. For some reason, I don't think that the guy's appearance is a coincidence."

Murmurs were heard from the crowd as the Smashers conversed with each other about the mysterious figure. No one knew who this figure was, or what exactly he or she was even doing in the vicinity of the mansion, but one thing was for certain; something unusual was going on. The question was: what _was_ going on exactly?

"It seems very strange," the floating hand known as Master Hand spoke up, "That someone would be waiting outside our mansion for unknown purposes. We'll need to keep an eye out for this person. We're not sure about his or her intentions, but just in case he or she wants all of us dead, be on your best guard."

The Smashers all nodded in agreement and continued to eat. They were aware that if they were to let their guards down, an unsuspecting evil could sneak in and throw all of the mansion's inhabitants into a perilous situation…

* * *

It was midnight now; everyone was asleep, preparing for a peaceful tomorrow. Most of the lighting was inactive, shrouding the mansion in darkness. It was at that point that the snow had ceased to pour down, coinciding with the departure of the gloomy clouds from above. The moon soon bathed the mansion and the surrounding areas with its soft, comforting light. Aurorae stretched across the moonlit sky like soft, magical ribbons, adding on to the beauty of the winter night. It was a peaceful sight to behold; nothing seemed unusual at this time.

Or so one would think.

At an unprecedented time, a bright light suddenly sparked near the mansion. While initially unseen, the light was eventually noticed by someone from inside the mansion. As he woke up, he rubbed his eyes to clear up his vision. This man was recognizable by his blue hair, along with a cape that had the color of the oceans on it. On his hip, a sheath was fixed in place and inside of it was a far-reaching blade known as the Falchion, believed by many to have the power to slay even the mightiest of dragons. The man was once the prince of the distant land known as Altea, and he was best recognized for saving his land on multiple occasions. More recently, though, his former title was replaced a much greater one; a few years ago, after the fall of the wicked king known as Hardin, he was elevated to the status of king of Archanea, the continent where his home was glued to.

His name was Marth Lowell.

As soon his vision cleared up completely, Marth peered out his window. Since the snow storm was no longer present, it was easier for him to observe the exterior even though there was still a good amount of frost present on the window itself. The almost-heavenly light complicated things; it caused Marth to squint his eyes and nearly forced him to turn away outright from its source. His eyes proved to accommodate quickly, however, and he was gradually able to observe what potentially otherworldly event might be taking place. As he continuously focused, he caught a glimpse of a person placed just underneath the light's source. Witnessing this, and the general event, as something odd and possibly dangerous, he gathered all of his equipment and barged out of his room, unaware of the possibility of disturbing someone else in the mansion. He felt himself rushing through the hallways…

Past the bedrooms…

Past Master Hand's personal office…

Into the main hall…

Down the staircase…

All this time, his heart was beating rather quickly; if this event truly was a sign of danger, than his inability to act could spell doom for the Smashers.

He soon exited the mansion via the main doorway and sprinted towards the light. As he approached, the intensity of that very light increased, hampering his vision. Of course, this failed to prevent him from reaching the source itself. It was at that point that he discovered what he was searching for: a person with brightly-colored robes that obstructed many features, including most of the face. Almost immediately, he was reminded of what Falco had revealed to the Smashers at dinner time, resulting in an instant revelation.

"This is… the person that Falco told me about," Marth exclaimed inside his mind. He reached for the hilt of his blade, in case danger ever came knocking, but before he could fully prepare himself, the light was suddenly extinguished. Simultaneously, the mysterious figure collapsed almost instantly into the snow, which was an unpleasant sign to the blue-haired king. He proceeded to carry the figure into the mansion, and as he did so, the other Smashers emerged from the main doors, having noticed the light that was previously present.

"Marth," the green, overall-clad plumber known as Luigi called, catching a glimpse of the Archanean king from a distance, "What's-a going on?" He was very reminiscent to his brother in regards to appearance, though Luigi himself was slightly taller and possessed a smoother mustache. He was not wearing it at this particular moment, but he could also be recognized by a green hat branded with the first letter of his name.

"This person here was summoning a light before he suddenly collapsed," Marth responded. "We may need to help him."

"Wait a minute," the famous Hylian hero named Link interjected, "How can you be sure that he is not a hostile trying to lead us into a trap?" The blond-haired Link was dressed with a green tunic, which was a typical type of attire in Hyrule, as well as a green cap that complimented the rest of his uniform. He could also be recognized by his numerous weapons, such as his Master Sword, though they were currently not in his possession.

"I do not have the answer to that, but we will find out sooner or later."

"Hopefully, we do." The tone in Link's voice struck some of the fighters as skeptical, as if he refused to trust the unexpected visitor. Minutes later, the Smashers soon gathered around in the infirmary, unsure of the status of the unknown figure. As Marth laid that particular person down, the hood unraveled and realization dawned upon all of the Smashers.

"That's not a man…" Fox McCloud, Falco's commanding officer, gasped. "It's a lady!" His comment was merely a fragment of the physical characteristics that applied to the beautiful maiden lying in front of the fighters. Her hair was very close to the color of an angel's wings, and the sheer beauty of it was complimented by her soft and very smooth skin, especially in the facial area. As she was unconscious, her eyelids were closed and concealed the colored irises within. Nevertheless, she could be best described by the Smashers as someone who seemed divine in appearance and possibly in intentions. The fact that she was sleeping only amplified the peacefulness of her appearance. The Smashers continued to gawk at her, until Mario, now clothed in medical garments, appeared to check for anything abnormal about the young female. As a doctor, which was one of his many passions, it was his job to ensure that all injuries and bodily abnormalities were treated and accounted for. After what seemed like a third of an hour, he was finished with his examination.

"Hmm," Mario puffed, "She doesn't appear to-a have any injury of any sort, which is a good thing-a. No bruises, no blood loss, no broken bones, nothing. However, for whatever reason, she's-a nearly drained of all energy."

"What do you think we should do?" Captain Falcon, a renowned F-Zero pilot, asked in a low tone. A reddish helmet, complete with a falcon-shaped crest, blocked out most of his face, which seemed to match up with his rather mysterious past. He was clothed in a navy blue uniform marked with a unique emblem on the back, which consisted of a falcon and his machine's name: Blue Falcon. Golden boots and gloves contrasted with this feature, resulting in a more colorful appearance that most of the Smashers could not match. A scarf hanged loose from his neck and often remained in close contact with the metal pad on his right shoulder. On his right hip was a holster that housed a handgun, although the weapon was never used in Smash battles.

"The best that-a we can do is to let her rest."

"For how long-"

Before Falcon could finish his sentence, an interrupting moan was heard from the examination table. The fighters turned their attention to the maiden, who was slowly waking up. As her eyelids opened, her eyes were revealed to have the color of healthy grass blades, another feature that bolstered her overall appearance. All of the Smashers, including Mario, stepped away from the table several times to give her some space. When the maiden's vision began to clear up, she slowly leaned upwards into a sitting position. She then raised her head to notice the faces of all thirty-five or, if the Ice Climbers were counted as separate, thirty-six Smashers, none of them being any familiar to her. It was at that point that she squeaked in a gentle yet surprised tone:

"Where am I…?"

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**And that's the prologue! What are your thoughts on the story so far? Please R&amp;R. More to come soon!**


	2. The Crossing of Paths

The Crossing of Paths

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**So, here we are. We're about to witness the Smashers formally meeting a new face. Who is she, and what are her intentions? These questions will be answered in this chapter. On with the story!**

* * *

The maiden stared at her newfound surroundings. She was unfamiliar with this particular area, with no recognition of any of its features whatsoever. Though she was aware that it was a medical center of some sort due to the presence of special equipment like bandages and medicine, where she was at exactly was still a cloud of mystery that hovered over her head. She was just as unsure about the thirty-six people that surrounded her. The faces that were glancing at her were diverse; some were swordsmen, a few of them seemed to be more menacing in appearance, several more were strange creatures that were obscured from her eyes until now, and some seemed to have no malicious intentions whatsoever. The diversity, however, failed to block a certain question within the confines of her mind:

_Were they friends? Or were they hostiles? _

She was completely unsure of the answer. There was no doubt that they could be friendly and would be more than willing to aid her in her plans, but if they turned out to be hostiles instead, her life could very well be in danger. Still unsure of what to do, she decided to patiently wait for them to perform an action, for if she tried to attack them and they turned out to be friendlies...

"Welcome to the Smash Mansion," greeted Captain Falcon, revealing a high degree of friendliness towards the maiden herself. As he did not perceive her to be a hostile, he now strongly desired to make her feel accepted inside the mansion. This brought sheer relief to the maiden; Falcon's friendliness comforted her to the point where she no longer had any desire to attack or, at the very least, escape from the Smashers.

"Poyo," the pink puffball, Kirby, squeaked in a high tone. Given that Kirby was unable to speak any existing language aside from his own, Falcon had to translate for him.

"Kirby said that we were able to rescue you after Marth noticed you fainting outside the mansion."

"Marth…? Kirby…?" the maiden whispered. Her voice was marked by a very distinct accent, almost reminiscent of what was heard in the often-frozen lands of Scandinavia. However, none of the Smashers appeared to have ever been familiar with that particular accent. To the majority of them, it was a potential sign that she was a foreigner of sorts.

"Poyo!"

Kirby leaped upward to ensure the maiden of his identity. She glanced at the puffball; he was rather miniscule, almost entirely pink, and possessed the ability to puff up in order to float.

_A strange creature_, she wondered. _No organism in my world has ever possessed this sort of appearance. I wonder if there are more creatures like this one in this realm…_

"That would be me. I am Marth Lowell, the king of Archanea." The former Altean prince stepped forward, also in response to the young maiden's comment. The maiden turned her attention towards him.

_A king from a distant land, _she once more whispered in her mind. _He also appears to be a swordsman of sorts. He seems so… determined, so confident. _

"May I ask," Marth continued, "Who are you supposed to be?"

"I am Lillian Åkerfeldt, and I am from a distant world separate from yours. I have traveled to this area to seek help."

"What-a seems to be the problem, Lillian?" Mario asked, slightly eager to hear about the adventure that he and his fellow Smashers might be delving into. No matter how dangerous they were, Mario always had an interest in adventures, and the people that were close to him were fully aware of it.

_He seems to have a taste in pursuing dangerous adventures,_ Lillian remarked. She then cleared her throat before proceeding to reveal her reasons for visiting the Smash Mansion.

"There is a dark, twisted force known only as the Svärtad Orm, and it was responsible for causing death and destruction wherever it traveled to thousands of years ago. The destruction was not limited to my world; it scattered itself across all of the realms, including the one you all reside in now. Not long after that, the realms were plunged into utter chaos. Thankfully, it has been sealed away since that incident by a magical item known the Staff of Björn, named after the hero who had defeated the force. The staff has been separated into five parts to prevent the entire artifact from falling into an evildoer's hands."

"Hold on," Falco spat, "Back up. If this thing is sealed away, then why do you need our help?"

"Recently, a new group has spawned from my world and is intent on reviving the Svärtad Orm. It is known as the Orm's Lords and its members are searching very extensively for the five parts of the staff. If they get their hands on the staff, they can revive that dreaded thing and usher in an age of ruin…"

After she was finished speaking, her hands magically conjured multiple images right in the Smashers' eyes. One of them featured a serpent with skin possessing the color of charcoal. As the Smashers stared at it, they noticed that black, smoky tentacles were emerging from its body and its eyes possessed the color of blood. None of them uttered a word, but they all realized that, analyzing the snake, it was indeed the so-called Svärtad Orm that Lillian was talking about. It was a sinister sight to behold, even for the villains themselves, but equally disturbing was the image of several figures gathered around in what appeared to be a neo-Gothic cathedral. Besides the foreboding background itself, the group members were all garbed in lengthy, shadow-colored cloaks, each one having a serpent adorned on the chest area. The hoods that were paired the cloaks obscured each member's face, leaving the Smashers to wonder who those people were, or if they were even people to begin with.

Sinister as those images were, however, a third image provided comfort to the fighters. In that particular image, a staff forged from platinum was the main focus. The tip of the staff was forged from diamond, a very valuable mineral, and glowed with such radiance that it illuminated almost the entire background of the image. Just beneath the diamond was a set of wings; the wings were rather angelic in appearance and were a sign that the staff was a weapon of holy power, designed to banish any and all traces of evil whenever it was used. The images were just enough to convince the Smashers that this matter was a serious one indeed, and the refusal to act was not an option.

"So," Samus Aran, a bounty hunter raised by the bird-like Chozo, muttered, "We need to search for the five pieces of the Staff of Björn to stop the Orm's Lords from unleashing the creature." The light-haired huntress was wearing a bluish, skin-tight suit dubbed the Zero Suit, which contrasted with her bulkier Power Suit in appearance.

"Correct," Lillian answered, just after dispelling the images she created.

"The question is: where are those pieces?"

"I cannot reveal their locations now, as my powers are not strong enough to sense them."

The bounty hunter tilted her head in confusion. "What happened to your powers?"

"Most of my energy was consumed in an earlier battle, and whatever was left was focused into the signal that I summoned earlier." This statement left the Smashers wondering just what sort of enemy had confronted Lillian. If it was the Orm's Lords organization, especially if it was in possession of a deadly foe, then that could mean that they would be facing a powerful group of enemies that they were unaware of until now. Some of the Smashers were chilled by this very thought alone, while others tried to suppress it to not have their confidences weakened.

"Do you believe that you can reveal the locations tomorrow?" Captain Falcon asked. He was never one to accept defeat, as he believed that there was always a way out of a tight situation, and he was certain that there was a way out of this particular situation as well. Most of the Smashers were more skeptical, however; they doubted that Lillian would even have the strength to track down the pieces by morning, and that could give the Orm's Lords enough time to complete their plan for world domination…

"I am unsure, but I will try to do my best when the time comes."

"Good, because if you cannot do so, than we may not get to those pieces before the organization does."

"Wait a second, why can't you just tell us now?" Fox questioned.

"When the staff was separated into its five pieces," Lillian turned her attention towards the vulpine, "The locations of each segment were kept hidden by the hero himself. After his death, the pieces were soon forgotten over time, leaving their existences known only to a certain few. However, I have been given the ability to track all five of them, which is useful since no map, realm-based or otherwise, has ever recorded their resting places."

"That makes sense." Not long after Fox's comment, Master Hand floated into the infirmary. As soon as he did so, he caught a glimpse of Lillian sitting on one of the beds.

"So, you must be the new visitor to the Smash Mansion," his great voice rang, possessing a tone of high power and respect. Like Falcon, Master Hand sought to make Lillian comfortable at the Smash Mansion. To him, it would be very upsetting if she or any other guest experienced anything uncomfortable inside the mansion walls, which would be a disgrace to the organization itself.

"Yes, I am," she replied. "I am Lillian Åkerfeldt, and I have come here to request your help. You must be…"

"Please, dear, call me Master Hand. So, what was it that you wanted us to help out with?"

"Master Hand," Falco interrupted, "Lillian here is talking about some evil force known as the "Svärtad Orm" and some organization is out to get the pieces of this artifact known as the Staff of Björn, which is what keeps the force sealed away."

"Hmm…" Master Hand muttered, twitching his index finger as he did so. "Very troublesome indeed."

"So, you want us to go or not?" Falco's voice was filled with a slight amount of impatience. If the threat of the Svärtad Orm was real, he believed, then it would be better for him and the others if Master Hand took immediate action. The floating hand, however, quickly decided otherwise.

"Not yet. It's late now, so we must get some rest before we head off tomorrow. All Smashers, please head back to your rooms."

All of the fighters nodded in agreement and dispersed from the infirmary. Falco grumbled slightly at Master Hand's decision before he exited the room; he had desired another adventure to suppress his agonizing boredom, but he would have to wait until tomorrow to quench his thirst for that very adventure. As soon as the infirmary was almost empty, Master Hand redirected his attention towards Lillian.

"Would you like to stay here for the night, madam?" That comment made it clear that Master Hand had no intention of leaving Lillian outside of the mansion whatsoever.

"Yes, do you have any rooms available?" the maiden responded.

"Unfortunately, all of the bedrooms are occupied by the Smashers, but I do have a couch situated in the living room that a person can sleep on. Do you wish to rest there?"

"I will. Thank you, Master Hand." She placed her feet onto the ground and strolled out of the infirmary. As soon as she was out of sight, Master Hand floated back into his office to get some much-needed rest.

* * *

A dark, gloomy atmosphere overtook the mansion; the nighttime seemed to have the effect of revealing what one might deem a second personality to the area. In the daytime, the mansion was a beauty to behold, with its unique architecture and amazing size that no other mansion in the world ever seemed to surpass. But, in the shadow of the night, that beauty would become twisted into something darker, a thing that both the Smashers and the Hands were completely oblivious to. As Lillian wandered through the mansion, a chill shot across her back. The mansion, in her mind, appeared more reminiscent of an abandoned structure typically seen in Gothic stories and less reminiscent of an inhabited mansion.

_This place seems haunting, _she pondered, _and I am rather surprised that no one in here has the time to stare at the darker aspects of the mansion. It's something of a black rose to me, something that has beauty but in a corrupted form…_

Her steps eventually guided her to the living room, another section of the Smash Mansion. Like the rest of the area, it was swallowed by the lasting darkness of the night, just another pedal of a black rose. All of the electrical equipment, including a television and all of the lights glued to the walls, was shut off. The scene was overtaken by a truly ominous atmosphere, with no one in the area aside from Lillian herself, minimal lighting at best and complete darkness at worst, almost no sound, and an uncomfortable cold feeling in the air. In the center, a couch was positioned a few meters away from the TV set. Though it was hard to tell, the couch was comprised of simple leather, a stark contact to the grand architecture present in the mansion. Lillian approached it and rubbed one of the arms with her right hand.

The couch felt so… so smooth. It would definitely serve as a resting place in lieu of a bed. Within seconds, she slumped onto the piece of furniture and pulled a blanket that was hanging on an arm over most of her body, just so that she could remain warm throughout the night. She felt her eyelids grow heavy on her and within a matter of minutes, she drifted into unconsciousness…

Meanwhile, Marth was just outside of the living room. He had somehow avoided detection by Master Hand and was able to sneak into the main hall to check up on the maiden that was resting on the couch. As he glanced at her, a sudden thought crept into his mind; this maiden was truly a mysterious person from an equally mysterious realm, and he had never witnessed someone like her. To exacerbate this, he had no clue as to what her kind was like. Questions were rampant inside his head:

_Is she from a truly peaceful civilization? Or is she from a society that desires nothing but dreaded bloodlust? If her people turn out to be a deceptive kind, what forms of trickery could they use to achieve their potentially heartless goals?_

Marth had no answer to any of the questions. As such, he was unsure if she really was seeking help from the Smashers, or if she was luring them into a fatal trap. One thing was for certain, however; killing her right now was not an option, for if she was a true ally and he utilized the Falchion against her, not only would he be shedding innocent blood, but he would also cripple the Smashers' plans to stop the Svärtad Orm. The best he could do now was to pray for the best. He eventually traveled back to his room in order to obtain his sleep.

* * *

It was now morning; the sun was crawling over the horizon and the Smashers were preparing themselves for the adventure that they would be heading into. All equipment was getting packed and vehicles were under examination to ensure that they were ready to go. A hearty breakfast, scrambled eggs and waffles to be more specific, was prepared for the fighters, as well as Lillian, by Kirby to grant a boost in energy levels. It would be troublesome, in Kirby's perspective, if the Smashers lacked the energy needed to overcome the trials that they would encounter. As with last night's dinner, most of the Smashers ate normally, but a certain few showed no manners whatsoever and hoarded whatever food they were given. Kirby simply stared at the food-hoarders in disgust. As soon as all thirty-six of the Smashers present were done eating, they noticed Master Hand floating towards the table.

"Lillian," he asked, "Are you ready to show us the location of the staff's pieces?" Some of the Smashers were tense over whether or not Lillian was prepared to track the pieces down with her magical abilities. They were not alone; Master Hand himself was also feeling uneasy.

_If she is unable to track the locations,_ he pondered, _there may be nothing that we can do to help out._ Everyone remained silent for the answer.

"I will use my abilities to mark the locations," Lillian finally responded. With these words, she raised her right hand into the air. Almost immediately, all of the bystanders noticed a glow from her palm. It was subtle at first, but soon intensified in a matter of mere seconds; this sudden change caused a few of the Smashers to squint and turn away. As the glow brightened, five golden spheres emerged from the light's source and hovered over the room for what seemed like a minute. The Smashers stared at the orbs, wondering what sort of action they, under Lillian's control, would be performing next. Their question received its response as the orbs circled around the room, slowly at first but immediately increasing in speed. Before anyone could utter a word, the orbs then suddenly launched themselves into five distinct directions outside of the mansion, never to return, and the glow on Lillian's hand soon diminished completely.

"That was… I've-a never seen anything like that," Mario gasped, apparently in shock over the event that just occurred. The other Smashers were just as dumbfounded, even renowned magicians like Princess Zelda of Hyrule, for they had witnessed no other magical ability like the one just shown to them. The Smashers even began to wonder about what other unheard abilities she would have in her possession. Lillian then closed her eyes in an attempt to concentrate on the locations. Seconds transformed into minutes; most of the Smashers were forced to wait patiently for the maiden to do her job. One character, however, was far too impatient to wait.

"Well?" Falco snorted, "Do you have the locations down or not?"

"Falco, please be patient," Ike grunted. Falco shot a harsh glare at the mercenary. The people that were close to him would recognize the fact that he absolutely despised having to accept orders from others, with perhaps the sole exceptions of Fox and Master Hand, and he was certainly not going to listen to someone that was too authoritative for him, especially when things were narrowed down to bitter arguments. Before he could do anything to retaliate against Ike, however, Lillian finally revealed her answer to the previously-asked question.

"The handle of the staff is located on a planet that was once home to an alien race known as the Chozo. This planet was plunged into turmoil when an unidentified object slammed into its surface and unleashed a terrifying substance of corruption called Phazon. Most life on the planet perished and some creatures were twisted into horrifically mutated versions of themselves. Along with this, the Chozo's society eventually fell into ruin as a result of the deadly contamination. However, a warrior, known as the Newborn by the Chozo, arrived to destroy this fountain of corruption and restore life to the planet."

At that point, memories were thrust into Samus's mind; despite the long period of time between the events and the present day, she could remember every single detail that her mission on _that_ planet delivered to her.

The substance called Phazon…

Mutated creatures…

Remains of the Chozo's society…

The Impact Crater…

"Wait," Samus muttered, "You're talking about Tallon IV, aren't you?" Tallon IV was a unique planet; it was painted with many diverse regions, from the lush Tallon Overworld to the fiery Magmoor Caverns, and was filled with life until Phazon reared its hideous head into the environment. As Lillian mentioned, Samus destroyed the main source of the corrupting substance on the planet. What the maiden failed to reveal, though, was that Samus also defeated a powerful creature known as Metroid Prime, known in Chozo lore as the Worm, and dismantled a Space Pirate operation exploiting the substance's ability to radically mutate certain creatures.

"Correct. This is where the handle will be at. The second piece, the mid-section, is located on a planet in the Lylat System. This planet is infamous for its inhospitable environment, with the lack of breathable air and acidic oceans being the most notorious features. It was once the stronghold of a maniacal scientist who was exiled from Corneria due to his dangerous experiments, and it was also the homeland of a vicious species hailing from the acidic oceans. Since their separate defeats many years ago, the planet has since been abandoned, with no traces of life remaining."

The description of the planet was all too familiar to Falco; the details were stuck to his mind like glue, with a very minimal chance of ever being detached. Even though it had been years since the events of the two unrelated incidents, he could remember them like they had only occurred yesterday. It was nearly impossible for him and Fox to wipe their minds clean of the deadly planet itself…

"Venom," was the only word that was released from his mouth. Indeed, Venom was a hazardous land, incapable of supporting life to begin with. Andross once gathered his troops from that cursed planet to dominate the Lylat System, which forced Star Fox to swoop in and resolve the crisis by force. The Anglar race also emerged from the planet to wreak havoc on Corneria and other surrounding planets, but, like Andross, it was eliminated by the heroic efforts of Fox and his team.

"The third piece, which is the left wing, is found in a thriving metropolis," the maiden continued. "This area is one of the more famous locales of a popular yet dangerous racing event known as F-Zero. It is also home to a hero whose past is shrouded in mystery but has nevertheless foiled the plans of many dangerous criminals and saved numerous innocents on many occasions."

A sudden revelation was brought upon Falcon himself. Not only could he recall the perilous adventures that he experienced at that very area, but he was also able to tell the hero that Lillian just mentioned was none other than himself.

"You must be referring to Port Town," he puffed. Port Town was something of a home to him. Before arriving at the Smash Mansion, he resided at a chain of islands off the city's coast. It was where he created his plans and lived his life in solitude, for his reputation as a bounty hunter had earned him numerous foes. As Lillian had mentioned, he also protected the city from numerous criminals like Black Shadow, a dreaded figure that sought to bring chaos, and saved the lives of numerous innocents, including fellow F-Zero racer Jody Summer.

As an acknowledgement to his comment, Lillian nodded her head before continuing on. "The fourth piece, more specifically the right wing, is located in a kingdom on the continent of Archanea. This small kingdom was home to a prince whose parents were ruthlessly murdered by war-loving armies, while the prince himself was exiled from his own land. The kingdom was reclaimed when the prince gathered an army to shatter the enemy's grip on it, but it fell into turmoil again when he was betrayed by one of his closest friends. He was forced to endure another series of trials before his land was liberated once more. Later, he would unite all kingdoms of the continent into one entity, declaring himself as its new ruler."

The events were still fresh to Marth. Time had no effect on his memories of those highly destructive wars; they just simply would not fade away, no matter how hard he tried to suppress them. He could also clearly recall the tragic loss of his parents, the capture of his sister, and not one, but two betrayals from two different groups.

"That's Altea," Marth gasped, "It has to be!" Even though he had been away for years, he could still remember the name of his beloved homeland. It was a bittersweet moment; he was departing from the Smash Mansion, which he now deemed to be a second home to him, but he was also returning to the land that he strove to protect in years past. He wondered how the inhabitants there were feeling at the current moment…

"The diamond, which is the fifth and final piece, is resting in a factory somewhere in the Mushroom World. No, it's not exactly in the Mushroom World, but rather, in an alternate dimension nearby. It was once the stronghold of a mechanical madman who led a massive army of machines. He almost succeeded in conquering the Mushroom Kingdom, but five warriors arrived to disable his army and destroy him for good. Since the fall of his feared organization, activity in that castle has been non-existent."

_A mechanical madman…_

_A massive army of machines…_

Those words were cues for images to start zipping in Mario's head. While he initially believed that his memories of the aforementioned adventure had disappeared with time, he soon realized that they were, in reality, simply lying dormant, waiting for the right time to be unleashed. Just like the others, there was no known possible way to detach said memories of his respective adventure from his mind…

"Smithy's factory…?" he whispered. As far his knowledge extended, Smithy was a dreaded villain who brought chaos by destroying the Star Road, which was the source of dreams in Mario's world, and scattering his minions across various locales across the Mushroom World. Malevolent beings they were, the minions had ruthlessly destroyed towns and attacked innocent civilians to achieve one goal: world domination. It was through a miracle that Mario, accompanied by his team, was able to overcome all obstacles that the Smithy Gang hurled at him. The factory that the villainous organization once inhabited could be best described as a dark, relentless, and mechanical form of Hell itself, with numerous enemies, dangerous machines, and deathly traps.

"So," Link spoke up, "We have the locations of the pieces. Now, there are thirty-five of us here, assuming that the Ice Climbers are counted as one, and there are five pieces, so we need to split up into five groups of seven."

"I'll-a lead the journey to-a Smithy's former headquarters," Mario interjected, "Since I am one of the few people here that are familiar with that place."

"Anyone who wants join the trip to Tallon IV should be with me," Samus announced, displaying the fact that she was the only Smasher familiar with the planet.

"I'll be the one to lead my group into Port Town," Falcon added. "Without me, a Smasher can get lost in a matter of minutes."

"The adventure into Altea will be led by me," Marth called. "I don't want a person unfamiliar with my land getting his or her group lost."

"Falco, I will let you lead the journey to Venom," Fox declared.

"What?" Falco gasped, "But, what about you?" Fox's comment struck him as unusual. As far as he could remember, he had never been on a mission to Venom without Fox by his side. So, why was Fox suddenly granting him control over the Venom expedition?

"I don't think you need my guidance to lead your team into Venom. You've shown yourself to be quite a leader with your former gang, and you have sharp piloting skills that surpass my own. I believe that you are more than capable of taking care of yourself, along with the teammates that you will be getting in just a moment."

Still in shock over the comment, Falco was able to let loose only one simple response:

"Alright, I'll take control of my team."

As soon as Master Hand instructed the Smashers to join the groups available, the thirty-plus Smashers not leading any of the expeditions scattered like balls on a pool table to determine which adventure that they would feel the most comfortable with. It was a scene of confusion; most of the fighters scrambled just to enter the groups that would be within the confines of their comfort zones.

_Eager beings_, Lillian thought, _Always seeking adventure wherever they could sniff it out_. As the number of spaces began to decline, the hectic atmosphere withered and some of the Smashers were upset that they were forced to be zoned into groups that would either delve into completely unfamiliar territory or contain characters that would rather not be around. Within minutes, five groups of seven were finally present. The groups were as follows:

* * *

_Mario's group: Mario (leader), Luigi, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Wario, and Bowser_

_Marth's group: Marth (leader), Ike, Link, Zelda, Toon Link, Ganondorf, and Pit_

_Captain Falcon's group: Captain Falcon (leader), Peach, R.O.B., Red (the Pokémon Trainer), Jigglypuff, Kirby, and King Dedede_

_Samus's group: Samus (leader), Solid Snake, Meta Knight, Pikachu, Fox, Wolf, and Olimar_

_Falco's group: Falco (leader), Ice Climbers, Sonic, Lucario, Ness, Lucas, and Mr. Game &amp; Watch_

* * *

"Now," Lillian whispered, "I will establish a telepathic link with each and every single one of you."

"And why is that?" Snake, a former member of the organization FOXHOUND, asked. Lillian's comment took the spy aback; telepathy was something that he had not heard of in a very long time. During the events of the disaster dubbed "Shadow Moses", he encountered a legitimate psychic known as Psycho Mantis, who, among other things, possessed the ability to accurately predict which move Snake would perform via telepathy. Even with the advanced technology in Snake's home universe, Mantis's abilities were something that defied all forms of conventional science. Now, here he was, being reintroduced to this mystical form of magic…

"I need to be in possession of a form of communication with all of you during your searches for the staff's pieces. Since there will be five groups out in the field simultaneously, I cannot travel with all of them simultaneously. I am also doing this as a way of monitoring your vital signs and knowing your identities."

"I get it now."

Following the end of the conversation, the lighting in the room instantaneously diminished. Some of the smaller Smashers, like Kirby, shifted their heads left and right, as if not sure what exactly was going to occur. A mysterious silence befell upon the mansion, but was soon dispelled by a high-pitched hum that coincided with Lillian's entire body glowing in a golden light. Without any indicator whatsoever, thirty-six beams of light suddenly zipped out of her like bullets fired from a gun and immediately penetrated through the Smashers in a matter of a mere second. A numbing sensation tore through the Smashers; it was so great that they almost believed that they were no longer stuck to the floor of the main hall. What originally seemed like seconds suddenly felt like long hours, as if the flow of time was slowed down by the magical maiden herself. Just when it was believed that it would be virtually endless, the mysterious process finally reached its ending point and the numbing sensation faded into nothing. The Smashers noticed a faint glow around their bodies; it was a clear sign that the process was successful and that they were now capable of communicating with Lillian at any given time, no matter the distance. Shortly after that, the mansion regained its original lighting.

"Alright, Smashers," Master Hand boomed, "You should now have a telepathic link with Lillian. Now that you are all set, I will create some portals that will lead you to your assigned worlds. Leaders, if you have any vehicles, you can head down to the garage to retrieve them."

Out of the five leaders, Mario and Marth stayed behind with their groups, for they lacked a vehicle that was stationed in the Smash Mansion's garage. The garage was a massive area, almost the size of a full-blown hangar bay. It contained the vehicles of the majority of the Smashers, from Olimar's clunky Hocatate Ship, to the mighty mother ship of Star Fox, the Great Fox. Meta Knight's Halberd used to reside in the garage when not in deployment, but the events of the Subspace Emissary had since reduced it to nothing. In addition to the main portion of the garage, a repair bay was also present in the event that a Smasher's vehicle ever needed repairs.

With permission from Fox, Falco powered up the Great Fox to let its systems warm up. Meanwhile, Falcon and Samus also started the ignition sequences of their respective vehicles, the Falcon Flyer and a personal gunship. Lower hums could be heard from all three vehicles as their systems gradually reached full power; those hums were so deep that one might believe that a miniature earthquake was rocking the garage. The members of Falco's group entered the garage to climb aboard the massive ship of Star Fox. Not too long after that, both bounty hunters guided their groups into their respective vehicles.

Outside, in the still-frozen front yard of the mansion, Master Hand conjured five portals that led to five diverse worlds, each one containing a piece of the Staff of Björn. The portals were distinct in appearance; each one presented a faint image of the world that it led to. In addition, three of them were significantly greater in size than the other two, most likely as an accommodation for the massive sizes of the vehicles that would be used. The remaining two groups, who were not in possession of a vehicle, strolled out of the front doors to witness the portals that hovered in front of them.

"Now, you will be heading into an adventure that will pit you against threats that we have never heard of before," Master Hand announced, "As such, this adventure will be rife with danger and you may not make it back alive. But, I believe that you are more than worthy enough to gather all the staff's pieces and stop the Svärtad Orm. Just be careful and do your best. Any questions would you like to ask?"

None of the Smashers from either group uttered a word. It was a sign that they were prepared for the adventure, which, to Master Hand, was a great thing. Not too far away, the massive garage doors whirled open to reveal the vehicles containing the other three groups. At that point, all three vehicles were warmed up and ready to endure the rigorous journey that lurked ahead. Noticing this, the hovering hand delivered one last comment to all of the Smashers present:

"Good luck... and Godspeed."

The three vehicles soared out of the garage in almost an instant and dived into the portals. As they did so, the Smashers that were traveling on-foot also rushed into the portals to begin their adventures into dangerous territory. Within the minute that breezed by, all of the Smashers had vanished and the portals gradually dissipated. Master Hand soon floated back into the mansion, filled with the hope that the Smashers would prevail over the Orm's Lords. Meanwhile, Lillian was staring out from one of the mansion's many windows, having just witnessed the send-off.

"Please," she prayed, "You must stop the Lords from obtaining the staff's pieces, or all of the realms will be thrown into fiery chaos…"

* * *

**And that's the end of "The Crossing of Paths"! Here's what I will be doing for the next couple of chapters: from this point up until the next segment, the story will be divided into different "theatres" that will focus on each of the five groups. As said before in the previous chapter, please R&amp;R.**

**A/N: "Svärtad Orm" is Swedish for "Blackened Snake". Also, Lillian's surname is derived from that of Swedish metal group Opeth's leading man, Mikael Åkerfeldt.**


	3. Mario's Theatre: Part 1

Mario's Theatre (pt. 1): Back into the Mushroom Kingdom

* * *

**So, we're finally down to the adventure itself, and we're starting with Mario's theatre first. What will Mario and his group witness as they attempt to retrieve one of the staff's five pieces? Read to find out!**

* * *

_The black rose is a special object…_

_It contains beauty, but in a corrupted form…_

_Its essence has fallen prey to evil forces…_

_Many have shied away from it, seeking happier pleasures in life…_

_Only the heartbroken and the faithless have taken solace in it…_

_It has been one of many objects represented in Gothic stories…_

_It is a symbol of infinite sorrow…_

_It is a representation of beauty meeting death…_

* * *

Dizziness.

Confusion.

Nausea.

Helplessness.

These words were occupying Mario's mind as he and his group soared through the portal to the Mushroom Kingdom. He had no idea on which direction was up and which one was down, at least not while he was being tossed around like a ragdoll. The violent motions were so frequent, so erratic that a nauseating feeling gripped his body tightly. It was very sickening to the point where he felt like vomiting his recently-eaten breakfast at that very point. He could hear the sound of Diddy Kong and Luigi screaming out of pure terror, which blended in with a loud ringing noise that punctured his ears painfully.

_This must be what torture feels like_, he believed, _how could anyone tolerate such an agonizing experience? _Just when he believed that the horror would never end...

_BLAM!_

...he suddenly slammed into the ground with a loud thud. A sharp sensation of pain suddenly ripped through him as if though he was hammered by an automobile. His legs wobbled as he tried to stand up; what was originally a simple task had become excruciatingly and unnecessarily difficult, no thanks to the heavy landing. On top of that, the ringing noise that accompanied the travel still resonated in his ears, leaving him inept to the groans of his group. His head cocked itself upward to examine the surroundings. The first thing he noticed was that his group members were sprawled all around him. They were either unconscious or groaning loudly in pain from the impact. Bowser, in particular, was lying unconscious on the back of his shell, with its spikes piercing the earth. Additionally, Diddy Kong was stretched across Donkey Kong's muscular form, with the latter ape grunting in agony from the former colliding into him. As strong as the massive ape was, the fact that he was visibly reacting to his pain from not one, but two impacts was a surefire indicator that even he had limits imposed upon him. The second thing Mario noticed was that he and his group were warped to a forest, filled with numerous trees of varying types. The winter snow that coated the area seemed to dull the colors present and had presented a scenery filled with potential confusion. The only clear indicator of where to go came in the form of a trail that was deeper than the rest of the ground, with one pathway leading to the north and the other to the south. There were no footprints of any sort present, a sign that it had not seen any use recently, which only complicated the cluelessness trapped in Mario's mind. There was a trail present, but the question was:

_Which way should the group go? _

As the ringing in his ears died out, Mario refocused on his group.

"This is-a not going to be easy," he muttered to himself, "but we need to-a search for a way out of this area."

"Wah…" Yoshi moaned.

"Here, I'll-a get you up," Mario puffed. He extended his hands to Yoshi, who latched onto them feebly. As Mario stood him up, the dinosaur was overcome by an erratic shaking in his legs. Though he did not reveal any signs of it, worry occupied his mind. Since he was weakened from the impact, he feared that he might be unable to stand or travel on his own. His tension thankfully disappeared when he noticed that he was able to stabilize his posture on his own.

"You alright?" he heard Mario say.

"Yoshi dizzy…" As he groaned these words, the green dinosaur clutched his head tightly. Mario extended his right hand to the back of Yoshi's head and noticed a small bruise upon contact. The bruise was a faint maroon in color, similar to a pair of curtains that one could witness at a play. Mario grimaced slightly at this injury and reestablished eye contact with the disoriented dinosaur.

"Hold it together, Yoshi. We'll-a get to a place as soon as-a possible so that you may rest."

"My head…" Luigi croaked as he sluggishly lifted himself off the ground. A sharp pain was clawing its way inside the younger plumber due to a very harsh blow to the head. This pain was so intense that he had difficulty seeing straight, with his ability to discern one thing from another heavily reduced. If Mario had the chance to examine how Luigi might have looked in his current state, he would have noticed that his younger brother was very close to vomiting the contents of his stomach, along with his face fading to a pale green. Meanwhile, Donkey Kong, henceforth referred to as DK, painfully forced himself upwards while clenching his stomach tightly, with Diddy leaping off to avoid interfering with his cousin's recovery. A large red area was noticed on DK's abdominal area by Mario, an clear and unpleasant indicator of the earlier collision. Nearby, Wario was completely unconscious, his overweight form stretched across the base of a nearby tree. As Mario stared at him and Bowser, a sudden thought zipped into his head.

_We need to carry Wario and Bowser until we either reach our destination or they wake up,_ he pondered. _Those two are very heavy suckers, so I need stronger guys to give them a lift. I can get DK to carry Bowser, while Yoshi can carry Wario._ Mario cleared his throat before proceeding to issue his commands.

"Yoshi, I need you to-a carry Wario until we arrive at Toad Town, or until he wakes up. Think you can-a do it?"

"Yoshi will try…" the dinosaur muttered nervously. The thought of having to keep Wario on his back left him trembling; not only was Wario a very chunky person in literal terms, but Yoshi was still recovering from the impact that he had sustained from launching out of the portal at high speeds. However, given the situation, the dinosaur had no choice in that matter. With Diddy's help, Yoshi heaved the overweight plumber onto his back. A crushing sensation zipped across his back almost instantaneously as he struggled to stabilize his legs.

"DK, can you carry Bowser?"

"Sure, though I might need a break after this…" the ape puffed. As he approached Bowser, he was still clenching his impacted area tightly to suppress his pain, but he had to stop so that he could hoist Bowser over him. He had to carry the Koopa King face down so that the spiky shell would not scratch him. Unlike Yoshi, DK had no problem carrying Bowser because of his great strength and despite the significant injury he had sustained.

"Where do we-a go?" Luigi shivered. The chilling weather was gradually causing the green-clad plumber to shake in a subtle but rigid manner, something which Mario and the others failed to take notice. Along with this, his arms were wrapped around his chest tightly and his teeth chattered slightly. Meanwhile, Mario twisted his head toward both directions of the trail, with no clue on which way to go, before focusing on his brother.

"I'm not-a sure…" the red-clad plumber slowly replied. "The only indicator is the trail that we are seeing right now, but which-a way to go is beyond me."

"Well, we need to choose sometime today," DK puffed lowly, "Because us standing here in the cold isn't going to be a lot of use." As soon as the muscle-bound ape was finished, he noticed that some of the snow was starting to stick on his fur, bestowing upon it a faint layer of soft white. Facing towards the left, he immediately realized that Diddy was undergoing this gradual process as well.

_Where to go… which way…_ Mario was almost clueless on the direction that he and his team should go. Before he could delve any further into thought, however, a faint flash of light sparked from the northern side of the trail. This light was a burnt orange in appearance, which contrasted with the snow on both the ground and the air. It was like a mix of fire and ice, in Mario's perspective. As a further detail, a distant explosion was heard by almost all members of the party, which left them wondering just what was going in the distance: a bomb going off, perhaps? Or was it something worse…? Regardless, Mario now had something to go off of.

"Let's-a investigate the northern path," he ordered. All party members, sans Bowser and Wario, followed him with no hesitation. As they stomped through the snow, the frozen wind wrapped its arms around them to the point where the weather felt bitter, if it was not that way before. Yoshi desperately struggled to maintain his balance not only to sustain himself but to avoid having Wario slip off his back. The winds seemed to slow DK down as he firmly tried to keep Bowser from flying off. The remaining three could feel their hearts race out of eagerness and danger, eagerness because they now had a lead, danger because they could be bumping into a possible threat.

Could it be…? No, there was almost no way; it could not be _them_, not here in the Mushroom World.

The thought remained etched into the minds of the two plumbers and the cap-wearing ape as the party continued down the trail. As the party progressed, another light illuminated the trail, accompanied by another faint explosion. This time, however, the light was more intense and remained illuminated for a longer time, while the explosion was significantly louder. Worry began to stir up in the minds of all party members; whatever was happening could point out to something dangerous, and the thought of such only intensified as the group approached the source of the explosion. The question was:

_What is that dangerous thing exactly?_

Mario suddenly halted when he caught a glimpse of a substance soaking into the snow. From where he was standing, the substance possessed a bright red color that contrasted sharply with the snow.

_Someone spilled his juice while he was out here,_ he muttered internally. As the others froze in place, Mario strolled towards the liquid and proceeded to examine it further. Now under close scrutiny, the substance's bright red color darkened significantly, almost as if it was trying to manipulate Mario's mind. When the plumber shoved a hand into it, it stuck onto his glove like tar. His eyes glancing further, he now realized what the substance was.

"Is that… blood?" Mario gasped silently. Out of disgust, he wiped his glove into the snow to remove the blood. Before he could even go so far as to relocate himself, however, a shivering was picked up by his ears. Mario leaped up and sighted a figure wondering out of the thick mass of trees. This figure possessed a vivid yellow skin, a long beak, green shoes, and, above all, a grass-colored shell. For attire, he was wearing a pair of darkened jeans and a grey, long-sleeved shirt, along with a burnt orange scarf. From these properties, Mario instantly recognized the creature as a male Koopa. He also noticed that the turtle-like creature was forcing a hand over his chest and exhibited erratic breathing.

"Sir," Mario muttered, "What's-a the problem?"

The answer that he received was not what he expected. The Koopa gradually removed the hand on his chest to reveal a frightening property. His shirt was literally soaked with blood and on the center of his chest was a gaping wound, the type of wound inflicted by a sharp object or a bullet. It was enough to force Luigi and Diddy to hop backwards in shock. Mario simply grimaced at this; this poor soul had been impaled in the heart and required urgent medical attention. There was no time to waste…

"What-a happened?" the plumber gasped.

"Something… attacked Toad Town…" the Koopa croaked, "It… was a… a group of figures… I couldn't tell… who they were… But, they weren't… any of Bowser's… troops… Please, help… us…"

"Wait-a, who's attacking Toad Town?"

"They were… wearing black robes… with… hoods… You cannot see… their faces… I think… they're searching… for something…"

"You need to-a come with us. That-a wound of yours will kill you if we don't-a get you to a hospital."

Before Mario could lend his support, however, the Koopa released a coughing fit that spewed drops of blood onto the snow, forcing the plumber to leap away to avoid ruining his clothing. The poor creature then collapsed to the floor almost instantly, hacking and wheezing uncontrollably, while also letting loose an erratic shaking that caused most of the group to cringe, before the shadow of death ultimately consumed him. As this was happening, Mario was left in a state of shock; not only had an innocent being died right in front of him, but the Koopa's words reminded him of what he feared the most.

"Oh, shit…!" he puffed.

"What?" Diddy mumbled.

"The Orm's Lords. They're-a here in the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Are you serious?!" The smaller ape could not resist the urge to widen his eyes in fear. The fear was soon spread like a virulent flu across all conscious members; if the dreaded Lords were here, in this realm, then there was no telling what sort of damage they were capable of inflicting upon an innocent kingdom… Mario had always anticipated what sort of damage Bowser and his troops would do, but the Lords were a different matter entirely. Unknown enemies, they could be a lot worse than the Koopa Kingdom in regards to wreaking havoc.

"I'm not-a joking. We need to-a reach Toad Town and repel those guys before they wreak more havoc."

"Let's get a move on, then!" DK yelped. The group hastily sprinted towards the destination, with each active member's heart now pumping at full speed. At that point, the bright light was now illuminating the area with a furious glow and the explosion was much louder than before; it had gotten loud enough to the point where Wario and Bowser sluggishly began to stir.

"Eh…" Wario grunted. His massive form stretched across Yoshi's back momentarily before contracting itself to lean upwards. As his eyelids peeled open, the first thing he witnessed was that he was being carried backwards at high speeds. "What's-a going on here?"

"We get to Toad Town," Yoshi squeaked, "Before it destroyed!"

"What do ya mean? I don't get this." Wario scratched his head in confusion, unaware of the panic overtaking the others. "Why should we be going to-a Toad Town?"

"The Orm's Lords are-a here," Luigi shuttered. "They're attacking the town right now, and we need to-a reach it before it's destroyed." Wario rotated his head in different directions to catch sight of panicked expressions from all party members except for Bowser, mixed up with quick breathing. It was not long before Wario eventually grasped the true severity of the situation.

_So, they must be referring to those robed losers,_ he wondered. _Well, I guess we should go down to Toad Town to protect it, as long as I get some sort of reward at the end…_ Before he could even open his widened mouth, though, Bowser suddenly forced his eyes open, only to notice that he was being carried by DK.

"Hey, stupid ape," he sneered, "Do you mind putting me down?"

"So, you're-a finally awake. Did you enjoy the nap, big guy?" Mario muttered sarcastically. The others shot a confused glance at him; it was unusual for him to possess even a slight hint of sarcasm in his voice, even when he was battling fearsome foes. Why was he acting like that now? Bowser, however, refused to take note of this and unleashed a furious snarl at him. He absolutely despised it whenever someone, especially his most hated enemy, popped up an attitude with him... and everyone close to him was aware of that fact.

"Mind your own business, sassy plumber! Hey DK, can you get your monkey hands off of me?"

"Okay, okay. Geez…" DK hoisted the Koopa King off his back and into the ground. The latter joined the others in the rush towards Toad Town, albeit without a clue as to why the others were heading to that specific location.

"Hey, where are we going?"

"We're-a heading to Toad Town," Mario bluntly explained. "The Orm's Lords are here in-a the Mushroom World."

"Why should I care? I don't even wanna bother with the wimps that inhabit that place!"

"If we don't-a stop these guys, the Svärtad Orm will be released and you will have-a no kingdom to conquer."

That nearly set Bowser off. He had spent years attempting to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom, and even the entire universe on two occasions, so that he could cast his iron-fisted rule over the innocent creatures that resided in his conquered land and, on a more personal note, snatch Peach away from Mario. And now, he was going to lose it all to the Lords if nothing was done soon…

This was beyond unacceptable, to steal something that was, in his opinion, rightfully his. His face flared up to a fiery red, reminiscent of a piece of metal absorbing massive amounts of heat. Meanwhile, his fists clenched tightly, as if he was about to hammer something soon.

"Those stupid robed freaks… I will rip their heads off, one by one, for trying to steal something that's mine and I mean MINE!"

"You'll get your chance soon enough," DK puffed. A few meters later, the seven finally reached the edge of the beloved Toad Town. However, they were greeted with an unpleasant sight, one that almost paralyzed them all; even Wario and Bowser seemed truly mortified. For one thing, the cold, warm-colored light that they had witnessed was simply Peach's castle catching fire. Mario also noticed that sections of the castle were missing; the explosions were originating from the castle, right? Peach would certainly lose herself if her eyes were to establish contact with this…

The damage did not stop there, for the buildings in the square were in a decrepit condition; doors were either damaged or completely torn off, windows were smashed to tiny pieces, making a barefooted stroll very dangerous, roofs were caved in, lights were decimated, which only served to darken the area despite (or perhaps because of) the day still stuck in morning phase, and some the buildings were even ignited. The snow did little to dispel the flames. To complete the wreckage, a statue depicting a Star, one of the most valued items in the Mushroom World, had toppled over, ruining its once-magnificent glory.

But perhaps the most terrifying aspect of the damage was the massive amount of bodies out on the streets. Most of them were stretched across the ground, with numerous wounds on their bodies. One Koopa in particular was brutally slashed across the chest, resulting in a heavy amount of blood spreading across the front of his torso. The wound was so deep that it almost exposed the internal organs underneath to freezing temperatures. Meanwhile, several more were burnt to an almost unrecognizable state, which did more than force Luigi to clasp his hands over his eyes. It delivered to him a horrific feeling in his stomach. Blood was splattered across the streets and on the bodies of the unlucky citizens. It, in Mario's perspective, was a truly terrible sight to behold. In all of his experiences, he had not witnessed Bowser and his troops performing such a heinous act, not even once.

"This is a nightmare," Mario whispered to himself. "I cannot believe that the Lords would-a go so far as to slaughter people unworthy of-a death."

"_Mario, can you hear me?"_ a voice resonated in his head. Mario suddenly leaped upwards and was now on full alert. Someone was speaking to him, and it was not any of his party members. He jerked his head in all possible directions, hoping to locate the source of the voice.

"Who are you?" he gasped.

"_It's me, Lillian."_

Mario's tension soon faded away upon hearing the voice's identity. To believe that the voice was an unknown soul now sounded ridiculous… He had almost forgotten that Lillian had granted the Smashers a telepathic link with her.

"What-a is it?"

"_What is your status?" _

Mario stared at the death and destruction surrounding him, not uttering a word during that moment. This would be disturbing news to the maiden. He then cleared his throat before responding. "We're at-a Toad Town, but the Lords… They-a really did a number here. I'm-a seeing devastated buildings and murdered citizens."

"_Oh, my goodness… Any sign of the Lords?"_

"No. I don't-a think so. We'll continue our-a journey to the staff piece."

"_Alright, but be very careful. The Lords are the type of enemy that will not hesitate to slaughter innocents and will attempt to punish those who resist. If you must fight, fight to your maximum potential because they will not mess around and can deliver death to a person who makes even the slightest mistake. If they are too powerful for your group, then run."_

"Okay. We'll-a be careful."

* * *

In a twilight-coated forest, somewhere in an unknown realm, was a river. Water smoothly flowed from upper ground to a darker segment of the forest below. This river was also bathed in a soft yet dense fog, which formed a beauty so mysterious, yet so comforting… An ordinary traveler would have given in to the temptation of relaxing by this obscure place. The trees surrounding the area were numerous and bestowed upon the view of the sky a grass-colored shade. A gentle wind swept through the forest, rustling the trees and further fueling the calm, if not outright pleasant, atmosphere of the area. On the ground, roses were present in, surprisingly, copious amounts; most of them were tinted the color of blood, though some of them were white, pink, or even black. It would seem like that there was nothing to worry about here, thanks to the sheer beauty alone.

However, there was absolute worry in the mind of a young man wandering around in the forest. His hair possessed the color of wheat, while being short and smooth in appearance; it seemed to be a rather heavenly feature to behold. His eyes matched with the grass that he was trampling on almost perfectly, with the only difference being that his eyes were slightly darker. His build could be best described as both lean and thin, with muscle counteracted by a smaller mass. Height-wise, he was a taller person. For a better understanding, it appeared that he would be just barely shorter than Ganondorf.

His attire was vaguely reminiscent to Lillian's, though it was otherwise entirely different. His dull white trousers reached towards the inside of each of his leather-fabricated boots, firmly and neatly tucked in so as to avoid coming loose. His shirt was decorated with an emblem. It was decorated with a lion surrounded by two brightly-colored roses, with the lion facing upwards and its jaw wide open. The right side of the chest was home to a ruby-colored brooch, reminiscent to what Marth had on his uniform. This brooch was capable of shining when exposed to bright lights, but it was not doing so at the moment due to the low lighting. To complete his attire, his hands were coated with leather gloves that appeared to be recently polished, given its slight shine. On his left hip was a quicksilver-tinted sheath, and inside of it was a sword, obscured almost completely except for the handle. The man appeared to be the type of person who could make a female fall in love at will, but earning a mate was currently the least of his worries as he was searching for someone more important…

"Lillian?" the man called. He possessed a Scandinavian accent in his voice, like Lillian. His face was tense; with Lillian nowhere in sight, and with no means of establishing contact, he feared that she could be captured, or worse…

What about the Lords? They could be stalking nearby, silently pursuing his flesh to capture or even murder him. He would have to keep quiet, but if he did so, he would be condemning Lillian to death. Then, he would be ridiculed for indirectly causing the death of a valuable person…

He would never be forgiven, by himself or by others…

* * *

_Into the trees_

_Past meadow grounds_

_And further away from my home_

_Baying behind me_

_I hear the hounds_

_Flock's chasing me to find me alone_

_A trail of sickness_

_Leading to me_

_If I am haunted_

_Then you will see_

* * *

Growing increasingly desperate, he raised his voice to a yell. As he did, his heart gradually began to sink out of fear. If she was dead or captured, he believed, the struggle to restore peace could end in disaster.

"Lillian! Where are you? If you can hear me, say something! I don't want to leave you here…!"

No response echoed throughout the forest. His breathing was no longer controlled, but now very hectic. An urge to allow tears stream from his eyes was now an untamed beast viciously clawing at him, threatening to tear him apart limb by limb. Maybe the search was hopeless… No, he had to find her, no matter the cost. With all his strength, he unleashed a fierce yell that spread throughout the trees.

"_**LILLIAN!"**_

* * *

_Searching the darkness_

_And emptiness_

_I'm hiding away from the sun_

_Will never rest_

_Will never be at ease_

_All my matter's expired so I run_

* * *

_Back at Toad Town..._

Mario and his group wandered around the decimated town in search of any survivors. By now, the wind had vanished into nothingness, leaving the scenery quiet and still. As they caught sight of more bodies out on the streets, their hopes gradually began to darken.

_What if there were no survivors…?_

The thought alone almost sickened Mario. Aside from Ganondorf, who else would be this cruel to consume the lives of hundreds of innocent people? He twisted his head towards the nearby lake, only to notice an abnormal red color to it, along with several bodies floating on the surface. It appeared that the lake in the town had not been spared from Death casting his mark via the Orm's Lords.

If only he and his group had been in the town when the Lords reared their hideous heads….

"No fair," Bowser grunted out of frustration, all while examining the bodies. "I wished to take these guys in as my slaves…"

"Uh, Bowser," DK muttered, "If the Lords succeed with their plans, then you'll be converted to a slave yourself. That is, if they don't kill you first."

That comment struck a chord in some of the members. No doubt, DK was pointing out something important; failure could mean certain death or, worse yet, eternal slavery. If the latter fate was selected for them, it would be never-ending, relentlessly agonizing torture. They would be forced to work for long hours, non-stop, until they were out of energy or the Lords disposed of them.

It would certainly be the equivalent of being chained to Hell. The only way to prevent either deadly fate was to gather the staff pieces before… those robed figures do.

"Wait, did you-a hear something?" Luigi spat. His ears apparently picked up a rustle that emitted from the nearby trees. It would have been passed off as natural, had there been any wind. Someone or something was lurking in the trees nearby, and Luigi was fully aware of it. Unfortunately, the others failed to take notice.

"Yoshi hear nothing," Yoshi piped up, scratching his head in the process. Was Luigi really pointing out something important, or was he simply acting paranoid?

"Me neither," Diddy added.

"What are you up to, green bean?" Bowser taunted. "I don't hear anything. If you're making stuff up, I'm gonna hammer you. No joke."

That nearly aggravated the green-clad plumber. "Wha…? I'm-a serious. There's something in the trees! We better go check it out in case it's-a something dangerous."

"Hopefully, you're-a right," Mario replied, dusting his hat off. "If not, then we're-a going to simply be wasting time." He strode over to the nearby forest, hoping to discover what was creating the noise. As he did so, the other members followed him, also curious about the noise that Luigi had supposedly heard. Approaching with cautious footsteps, they twirled left and right, up and down to locate the source. For a while, nothing was heard. During the period of silence, Bowser's frustration started to boil up. If Luigi was lying about the noise, then he would need a serious punishment. Mario was also becoming increasingly irritable, albeit to a lesser degree than his nemesis. Just before the two of them were preparing to leave, however, a sudden rustle was heard. Mario quickly whirled around, now fully alert in an attempt to locate the noise.

"I-a guess you were right after all, bro," Mario whispered.

The rustling continued, and the party members continued to search for the noise source. While this was occurring, nervousness took root within Luigi's mind. He feared that something might pop out in front of his face, which, given his less courageous personality, would cause him to lose it completely. Diddy was also tense, now resorting to hiding behind DK. While they revealed no signs of it, the others were receiving chills down their spines. Even Bowser and Wario were legitimately jumpy at that point. The rustling increased in volume, louder and louder, until…

It just suddenly stopped.

"Hm," Mario sighed. "Whatever was producing that-a noise is gone. We must-a continue searching for survivors."

"Well," Wario grunted, "That was wei-"

Before he could say anything else, the forest was suddenly alight with a furious, blood red glow. By natural stimulus, the more timid members yelped and tripped backwards at this new scene, only to rush to the rear of the group. His eyes slowly adjusting to this newfound sight, Mario locked his eyes onto a group of figures standing still under the foliage of the trees; he perceived these figures to be garbed in blackened robes that blocked out most aspects of each member's individual persona. Performing a left-to-right visual sweep of the forest, he noticed that there could not have been more than forty of them. No matter how hard he tried, however, he just could not distinguish one member of the group from another aside from gender and, less potentially, age. What really snatched his attention, though, was the emblem adorned on each figure's robes. It immediately struck a chord in him that he had previously noticed this emblem via an image conjured by Lillian, way back at the Smash Mansion.

If the emblem was a snake, then that could mean one thing only…

"So," Mario spat, "You guys must-a be the Lords that I've-a been hearing about recently." As he spoke, a bright flame began to spread across his hands, a sign that he was ready for battle. "I don't-a what you were thinking when you murdered those townspeople, but I'm-a going to make sure that you won't harm anyone else."

For a while, both sides of the upcoming battle were silent, with no spoken word whatsoever. The only sound heard was the revived wind blowing through the town, which only served to build up the tension in the atmosphere. It, in the minds of each party member, was appropriate for a battle to the death. Mario was fully aware that he and his group could die here if they were careless, but once each member entered a fighting stance, there was certainly no backing out now. They would either succeed or die here. But, wait…

Lillian mentioned fleeing from the Lords if they proved to be too powerful, did she not?

Mario was suddenly taken aback. Anyone who was close to him personally would understand that he was never the type of person to decline a challenge. And yet, her comment was suggesting him to act otherwise. He grimaced at that thought, never one to be comfortable with turning down something difficult. It was an excruciatingly brutal dilemma indeed. What seemed like a minute rushed by before he swore to himself and Lillian; he would only flee as an absolute last resort. While he was finalizing the vow, a voice echoed from the Lords. This particular voice was quiet, but with a haunting, hissing tone to it. It was screaming pure evil to the Smashers present. Luigi nearly shook out of fright, forcing him to lower his hat over his ears.

"The serpent will rise… A sea of darkness will usher in a new era for all the realms…" The party members soon realized that the voice was originating from a woman within the crowd. Most of them also noticed that there was a distinct Scandinavian tone to it, similar to Lillian, so that could only mean that she was from the same realm as the pure-hearted maiden. Before any of them could even react, one member of the cult stepped forward from the others. From where Mario was glued to, he perceived this person to be a younger female, perhaps no older than her late twenties. She possessed dark-colored hair, just several shades brighter than the uniform that she was donning and neatly tucked into her hood.

What really distanced her from the other cult members was that her serpent emblem was a bright red in color; all other members had their emblems painted a dull gray. That indicated some sort of leadership role. Was she a captain of some sort, or the cult leader? Mario and his group had no luck in figuring out the answer. Another thing that stood out was a sheath fixated on her left hip, which was carrying a sword inside of it.

Wait a minute. She was the one who slashed that poor Koopa in the chest. No doubt, the horizontal wound etched across his chest could have only been created by a blade.

"You must-a be searching for more people to maim, eh?" Mario growled furiously. The flame on his fists intensified on cue.

"So," the woman replied, "You are here to prevent us from awaking the serpent… Ignorant beings, do you not realize that our savior must be awakened for the world to be shaped into its perfect form? It is necessary that we complete our plans. If we must kill you, then so be it."

"Hey!" Bowser shouted, "Your so-called "plans" just ruined my plot to take over this fucking place! Get over here so that I can slice your heads off!"

The malevolent female was unfazed by Bowser's spiteful comment. "You poor brute… I feel sorry for you. Did not your family members teach you proper manners? Oh, what am I saying? Of course they did not, but we will be more than glad to act as a superior replacement for them."

"Rrrgh…!" The Koopa Kingdom's crown ruler could not help but allow a detesting rage to accumulate within him. _Who even gave her the right to talk trash about my family,_ he pondered, _MY family?! I'm really gonna tear her apart, until there is nothing left of her._

"Please," Yoshi squeaked in a tone that tried to pass itself off as confident, but ended up sounding frightened, "Leave place now and don't come back."

"Aww, is the wittle dinosaur scared?"

That nearly sent Yoshi into shock. The woman was able to exploit his newborn fear of the Lords with that teasing comment alone. Just how crueler could she get? Only time would tell. He shuffled backwards to maintain a safe distance from the woman. In response, however, the latter positioned herself closer to the party, which forced the dinosaur to stumble further away.

"If you-a want a battle," Mario grunted, all while creating a fireball in his hands, "We'll-a grant you your request."

With his final words, Mario hurled the fireball towards the dark-colored crowd, resulting in a member's robes igniting instantly. The man struck by the blow screamed in pain as he desperately attempted in vain to extinguish the fire. On cue, both sides were soon engaging each other in a heated battle. Bowser raised his claws into the air to slice up two cultists, where both of them were sent flying backwards with deep wounds. Surprisingly, the two regained their composure with little effort on their part. Bowser then suddenly noticed that their wounds were beginning to heal at an abnormally fast rate.

"Huh? How's that possible?" he grunted.

That comment left him distracted long enough to receive a free hit from a cultist, who fired a beam of dark energy at the Koopa King. He was forced painfully into a nearby tree. Meanwhile, Luigi and Yoshi were surrounded by a group of ten hostiles. Just when it seemed that there was no way out, Yoshi bounced into the air to pound three of his assailants, while Luigi delivered a painful breakdancing kick to another two. A cultist was strangling Diddy with only one hand while fighting the smaller ape's attempts at resisting. As Diddy slowly lost consciousness, he attempted to pinch his enemy's hands, but the man's sheer strength prevented escape. Just then, DK brutally smacked the foe with a dreaded Giant Punch, his signature attack; a loud crack was heard by all on impact and the man slowly collapsed to the ground. Diddy broke free and was soon pummeling another robed figure. Wario stretched his mouth far and wide to chomp on a foe. The cultist screamed loudly as teeth slowly crushed him to a pulp, and it was not until Wario was thrown backwards by another one of the Lords that he was able to escape, albeit with deep bite marks and a horrific stench of garlic. Elsewhere in the battlefield, Mario was now face-to-face with the group leader, ready for a one-on-one battle with her.

"Time to-a get this over with, whoever you are," he called, pounding his fists together. All during that moment, an expression of sheer confidence overtook his face. In his mind, he was ready to face her in combat, just like how he was ready to conquer any enemy that blocked the way to his objectives. Still, he would have to be careful, for he had never faced an enemy like her before and was without an indicator as to what she was capable of…

"Oh, how rude of me," she spat, slowly reaching for her blade in the process. "I forgot to introduce myself. I am Agnetha Lindgren and I serve as a captain in the glorious organization of the Lords. You wouldn't dare to try and challenge me, would you? I'm very skilled with the blade, so if you have a death wish, then just try to fight with your bare hands."

"Who cares if-a you have a blade and I-a don't? That doesn't mean that I can't-a defeat you. In fact, I should-a be taking you down right now… By the way, it's-a me, Mario!"

"Alright then. Have at you!" Immediately, she jerked her sword out of its sheath, ready to spill blood upon the soil. Her blade was revealed to be decorated with a sapphire at the hilt, while the hilt itself appeared to be forged from silver. Mario would have glanced at the blade to closely examine its beauty, if only it was not being used against him at the moment. He sprinted towards her, right fist extended, to deliver a furious punch; it successfully impacted her, but she was not launched far. She regained her composure and swung her blade at neck-breaking speeds, each swing forming a bright blue crescent that resonated with great intensity. It was enough to contrast sharply with the dark forest. Mario was, for someone of his body structure, very agile to dodge most of the strikes, but a mistake eventually inflicted a cut on his right shoulder. As the battle continued, Mario launched several fireballs at her, hoping to deliver another blow, but the woman, now known as Agnetha, utilized rapid-fire slices to shred up all of the fiery projectiles in an instant. He was almost at a loss of words upon witnessing that feature.

_Her attacks are like a flow of quicksilver_, the plumber pondered. _Hopefully, I don't waste my energy trying to beat her._

On the other side of the field, Bowser leaped up into the air to perform a bone-shattering butt stomp on three cultists; the ending result was a painful headache for the victims, as well as a short snicker from the massive Koopa. Shortly after that, he aggressively grabbed a female member and launched her into Yoshi, who extended his tongue outwards to swallow her. An egg was summoned and then used by the dinosaur to knock several members over like bowling pins; painful yelps were heard by those nearby, followed by a cracking noise. Luigi was hammered in the back of the head by a darkness-fueled fist from an out-of-sight aggressor, resulting in the exacerbation of his head injury from before. As he struggled to push himself off the ground, DK had to protect him with his famed Spinning Kong maneuver to repel all nearby enemies. Diddy also rushed to the rescue by firing peanuts from his popguns, with each peanut bopping an unfortunate foe like a pellet fired from a BB gun. The area was soon cleared, if only temporarily, in a matter of seconds and DK aided the sickened plumber in his struggle to stand up.

"Hey…" Luigi groaned, his face once more fading to a sick green color. "Thanks…"

"No problem," the ape replied. The next image that slapped him in the face, however, was Luigi finally succumbing to the bodily tormentor known as nausea and splashing the contents of his stomach onto the soil. DK, by natural instinct, blocked out his eyes from glaring at the rather disgusting mess; the food items that Luigi had consumed earlier were now half-digested to a near-unrecognizable mixture, complete with a significant amount of acid that was responsible for breaking down the aforementioned items. Besides that, a strong smell began irritating DK's nose. It was truly a sickening sight to witness, enough to where the ape fled from the vomit pile to continue battling with the Lords, all while leaving Luigi and Diddy behind.

_SL-SL-SL-SLASH!_

"Take this!" Bowser yelled, while retracting into his shell. He directed his attack towards a small group nearby, slicing all those present. Once the giant Koopa was finished, he twisted around to catch a glimpse of cultists with deep cuts on their bodies, the outcome of him utilizing his shell's spikes. He also noticed blood on the nearby snow, but, strangely enough, the color of it was… black? But if the color of the cultists' blood was a deep black, then something was unusual about these people. What exactly could the color mean…

Bowser had not the time to figure out just what the unusual blood color could represent, for his enemies were regenerating and at him again. A boiling rage was starting to root itself into Bowser's mindset; there was almost no way that a normal person would still be standing after suffering horrible wounds. These figures were likely in possession of some type of magic that was granting them advanced regenerative abilities. No other explanation seemed to present itself.

"Won't you just die already?" he roared.

Mario was still battling Agnetha, with limited progress. His left cheek was cut open by her blinding swordplay, something that he had not witnessed from someone that was not Marth, Roy, Ike, or any of the Links.

_She must have been training with that blade for years,_ he pondered. It was all that echoed throughout his head as he narrowly avoided a fatal stabbing blow, just to deliver a counterattack to the stomach. Letting out a minor yelp of pain, Agnetha was ready to prepare another attack, but her opponent quickly squeezed her wrists to interrupt the potential killing strike. The two were immediately forced into a stalemate, with both characters fiercely battling for control. Neither side was willing to crack under pressure.

"Give up while you still can," the swordswoman sneered in a sinister tone.

Mario's only response was a harsh glance directed at her. Being a man of determination, he was not going to allow this mistress to cleave him in half, not here or anywhere else. With one loud yell, he shoved Agnetha backwards before tackling her to the soil, preparing to pummel her. In the process, the sword was tossed into the air before firmly planting itself next to a nearby tree. Before long, Agnetha was receiving punishing blows from the enraged plumber, which caused her hood to slide off slowly. Each blow was like a hammer slamming against her skull, which amounted to real pain.

"Had enough?" Mario taunted, still retaining his assault on her. But even with her injuries, Agnetha was able to unleash a burst of laughter from her mouth, which confused the plumber. Just what was so funny?

Her behavior had to be referring to his comment, for there was nothing else to provoke that kind of action. But before he could react, she conjured an electrical current throughout her body to electrocute him. A sharp, bodily pain clawed into him during that brief but terrible moment. Truthfully, it was almost the equivalent of being roasted by Bowser's fire breath, which itself was something that he would rather not go through. Time was slowed down for him, stretching mere seconds into minutes or even hours. But this would not be the end of this damaging moment, as the captain hoisted him up with unnatural strength to bury him into the confines of the grounded snow. As he tried to support himself, Agnetha fired a blast of dark matter from her palms, not only to worsen his condition, but to fling him into a nearby building.

Wario was engaging the cultists like a madman; his fists were soaring left and right, up and down to ensure that he reduced all of his foes down to bloodied, lifeless pulps. His luck would be stolen from him when an adversary kicked him right in the stomach. While the flatulence produced was able to incapacitate an unlucky opponent from behind, Wario was painfully and instantly winded. As he sank to his knees, he desperately hurled his arms to repel his approaching antagonists, but he was halted when two of the Lords restrained him with minimal effort on their part. His struggling provided no help to him; instead, he was punished with a blow that shattered his nose. Upon impact, a cracking sound sparked from Wario's nose, followed by drops of blood pouring from his nostrils. It was enough to drive the miser into a state of insanity.

"My nose!" he shrieked. "How-a dare you ruin the great Wario's nose! When I-a break free, I will so make you guys pay up!"

Yoshi was nearby when he overheard Wario's wrathful comment. Quickly tail-slapping two foes away, he sprinted to the overweight man's location. An egg constructed itself around him and, within the few seconds that slipped away, was ready to barrel through the robed hostiles. Yoshi first directed it at the two Lords that were physically restraining Wario, tripping them from underneath and allowing his ally to lay down a borderline non-stop combo on the cult member who had previously delivered the hard kick. The combo was eventually concluded with a rising uppercut that forced the selected victim into a slumber. Yoshi's next targets were the foes that formed a circle around the two apes. DK slammed his fists into the ground to produce a small earthquake that launched some of his enemies into the air, while Diddy utilized his acrobatic abilities to confuse and strike down any aggressor that threatened him. The latter ape was latched on a female cult member's head, smacking her repeatedly with his palms, when his eyes suddenly received a short-lived image of Yoshi's egg about to flatten a couple of the Lords, including the one that he was currently pummeling. With a very small reaction window by his side, Diddy leaped off to avoid suffering the same fate as the would-be victims. During that moment, DK provided some assistance to Yoshi by chucking some of the cultists into the egg's path. The result was a stream of stunned foes that surrounded the two simians; DK momentarily smirked at them, satisfied with his work, while Diddy clapped his hands three times out of temporary victory.

Luigi was still recovering from his bout of sickness. He barely had the strength and time to dodge an electrical shock from a cult member approaching him from the left. He retaliated with a grass-tinted fireball, which struck his opponent with a flame-filled impact. As he watched on, his opponent writhed and screamed in pure, unfettered pain. Despite the attempts to dispel the fierce heat, the cultist was ultimately doomed to die a human fireball. The falling snow, mixed with the cold weather, was inadequate in blowing out the fire. To Luigi, it seemed that the flames were transcending scientific explanation to continue burning in this chilling environment. The villainous man finally sank to the ground, never to rise up again. Luigi then realized something; earlier, Bowser was slashing at more those figures and all of them were able to regenerate so that they could withstand more punishment. But, as soon as that fireball was launched, the cultist failed to regenerate, leaving his injuries to kill him. That would only mean…

"They're-a vulnerable to fire," Luigi muttered. "I need to-a inform Bowser about this."

Closer to one of the now-abandoned buildings, Mario was close to blacking out completely. The energy beam, mixed with his collision into a wall, had left him with bruises and cuts all over his body. Struggling to sustain himself, he could barely notice Agnetha approaching from the distance. Through the mystical power of telekinesis, she had regained her blade and was prepared to shed blood with it... if he remained frozen to the spot that he was on. Mario attempted to strike the swordswoman once more, but his attempted attack would be cut short when she caught his fist just several inches before impact. Using her sword, she tried to disembowel him, but his short hop backwards caused her to cut at his knees instead. In response, Agnetha's superhuman strength kicked in once again when she delivered a bone-smashing palm strike to crush him into a wall. Once his physical form was buried, Mario's mind was filled with one thought:

_Just how powerful is she?_

The answer was beyond him at that point. He was already knowledgeable about the strength of many foes that he had battled in years past, including the potential of Tabuu and the now-dissolved Subspace Army, but she was a complete unknown to him.

"Are you ready to perish, foolish man?" Agnetha's voice hissed.

"Not if I-a finish you off first…" was Mario's response. The next thing that he felt was Agnetha's free hand squeezing his throat while he was firmly pressed against the damaged wall. His eyes soon glanced at a blade fixated in a position that would pierce his chest if he remained immobile. Given from the way that it was positioned, the blade was easily comparable to a stake ready to tear through a vampire's heart. He also was now able to examine Agnetha's face with her hood removed. Her hair was revealed to have a smooth, dark tint of red to it, and its maximum length was close to the middle of her neck. Her eyes appeared to have the same grass-colored tone as Lillian's. Additionally, her facial features were smooth in character, not revealing any signs of aging whatsoever. Admittedly, she was a true beauty to behold, but said beauty only served to masquerade her malicious intentions…

Without hesitation, Agnetha propelled her instrument of death forward, only for it to be frozen by Mario's nimble hands.

"I'm not-a going down without a fight," the wounded plumber grunted. The captain ignored the comment and continued to push her weapon forward, utilizing her overwhelming physical might. The sword crept towards Mario's chest, and the only thing slowing it down was him grappling it by the blade area. While this was occurring, blood leaked from his hands; this was, without a doubt, due to the blade creating long wounds on his palms. After a minute, the blade was driven into the far right side of his chest when he directed it away from his heart. It was literally tearing through him, creating a sharp, burning pain that zipped to other areas of his injured and bleeding form. There was one haunting thought that overshadowed the pain he felt…

He was slowly, but definitely, losing the fight.

* * *

"Bowser!" Luigi called.

"What do you want?" the burly Koopa responded.

"I just-a realized something; these guys are vulnerable to fire! It stops their regenerative abilities! Maybe you can bring your fire breath into play and roast them alive."

Bowser did not resist the urge to chuckle loudly. He was surely going to enjoy incinerating the interlopers who ruined his eventual plans of ruling the Mushroom Kingdom…

"Are you ready to turn up the heat?" the younger plumber muttered.

"Gladly. Let's see if they can withstand my wrath!"

_FWOOOOOOMMM!_

With the final words spoken, a stream of fire flowed out of the Koopa King's mouth in an instant. Not too far away, the two apes, Wario, and Yoshi separated themselves from the Lords so that Bowser could perform his job without any interference. Fire met blackened robes; the cultists were now subjected to the full mercy of the fiery inferno that was now sweeping through the battlefield, with no possible way out of this situation. Screams of pain filled the once-silent air. Human fireballs swept the ground in all directions, melting the snow that was glued to the soil. Strangely, the newly conceived water was ineffective in preventing the Lords from being roasted into a crisp. The other members, save for Mario, simply watched on out of horror and triumph, keeping a safe distance away from the field so as to not fall victim to Bowser's blazing fury. Within the minutes that breezed by, the robed figures finally succumbed to the fires that consumed them. All that was left was a field filled with charred corpses, mixed in with the bodies of the good-willed townspeople. The party members could not believe it.

They had just defeated foes that they had originally deemed almost impossible to beat.

"Yes! We've kicked their behinds!" Wario cheered.

"Yes, we did," Bowser complimented, with a grin on his face.

"Wait a second, where's Mario?" Diddy interjected. He was the first to realize that Mario was not with the others. The other members shot confused glares at him before rotating their heads to search for the red-clad plumber.

"Wait, what?" DK muttered. "Where did he go?"

"Oh, no," Yoshi suddenly shrieked, "Mario in trouble!"

The others leaped at the sound of Yoshi's cry. When they noticed him aiming his pointer finger at a certain direction, their eyes were immediately hammered by a frightening . Next to an abandoned building was Mario, bloodied and in definite peril. He was attempting to prevent Agnetha, the captain of the hostile group, from inflicting any more injury against him, but it seemed that he would collapse from his previous wounds, which could spell final doom.

"Guys, we have to help him!" DK shouted. As the others trailed behind, DK started to swing his left arm in a circular motion, preparing for a brutal attack. Fueled by adrenaline, DK sprinted with furious speed to rescue Mario before he was killed. Meanwhile, the plumber himself was still struggling to stop Agnetha from harming him any further. His hands were beginning to tremble from the blood loss, and his vision started to fade away.

"Any last words?" Agnetha jeered.

"Yes," the plumber shot back.

"What are those words, pray tell?"

A weak smile stretched itself across the plumber's mouth. "Look behind you."

_POW!_

It was too late for her to even react. A giant fist collided with her body, flinging her all the way to a nearby tree and causing her to once more lose her sword. This time, however, the sword remained stuck in Mario's wounded form. The plumber had to painfully slide it out of his body to free himself.

"Bro," Luigi whimpered, "Are you okay?"

Mario coughed a few drops of blood before finally responding. "I-a need some… treatment…"

"We'll-a get you some help soon. Can you stand?"

Mario's legs wobbled as he attempted to stabilize himself. His leg wounds were restraining him from achieving his intended objective. The blood loss only worsened this as his muscles were not receiving the nutrients needed to function properly. While he limped away from the wall, the others, except for Bowser, only stared at him in pure horror as they noticed his injuries. Meanwhile, Agnetha was stunned from the devastating attack inflicted by DK. As she dragged herself upwards, Bowser approached her with a tremendous anger shining from his eyes.

"There you are," he growled. "I really should have expected more from your precious Lords here. Green Bean just revealed to me that you guys are weak to fire. And do you understand why? Because it hurts your regenerative powers! Now, I've got an itsy bitsy surprise for you. I was originally going to save this for Mario, but since you've really pissed me off, I'll just give it to you instead."

Without warning, he launched a massive fireball from his mouth. Before Agnetha could even react, her body was set ablaze by the hazardous projectile, along with the tree that she was leaning against. With a victorious smile, he strode away from the burning mess to reunite with the others. It was there that he finally recognized the severity of Mario's injuries.

"Uh, Mario?" he grunted indifferently. "You look kinda beat there…"

"I'll-a be fine, Bowser…" his rival replied.

"So, what do we-a do now?" Wario puffed, unsure of what to do next.

"We'll-a need to head to Smithy's old factory of his; the first-a piece of the Staff of Björn will be there…"

"But, Yoshi don't know how to get there," Yoshi squeaked.

"Even though the dino's never been there, he has a point. How are we supposed to reenter the factory?" Bowser added. Before Mario could utter another word, a voice rang from several yards away.

"Master Mario? Is that you?"

Mario weakly shifted his head towards the source of the voice. A smaller figure was slowly bouncing in the group's direction; with his vision blurred, it was difficult for him to recognize who the person was at first. He had to wait patiently for the figure to approach him before he could discern all the details. It was then revealed the figure was actually an elderly Toad. He was distinguishable by his glasses as well as his kempt mustache. Another thing that separated him from the others was his attire; instead of the usual coat that most Toads wear, he was in possession of a more formal coat that was neatly decorated with a reddish bowtie at the neck area. The final property that stood out was a cane in his right hand, indicative of old age.

"T… Toadsworth?" Mario coughed. The elderly Toad approached him, only to stumble backwards at the sight of Mario's bloodied wounds.

"Good heavens!" he yelped. "What happened to you?"

"…difficult fight. What-a are you doing here?"

"I noticed a battle happening near the outer forest, so I exited the castle and I realized that you and Master Luigi were among the participants; you were battling those robed fellows, weren't you?"

"Oh, yeah."

"I had stay inside one of the buildings so that they wouldn't do anything terrible to me just like they did to those poor souls. Thankfully, you gentlemen had won the fight, so I wanted to come out here to assist you. And it appears that you have some guests with you. I can recognize… err, Bowser, I believe? But, I need to familiarize myself with the others. Care to give me your names?"

"Yoshi!" the green dinosaur chirped.

"Wario!" the yellow-clad man boasted.

"I'm Donkey Kong," DK sighed, "And with me is my cousin, Diddy."

"Alright then," Toadsworth grumbled, "I need you folks to enter the castle with me, or rather, what's left of it."

With no objections, the group followed the forgetful Toadsworth into the castle, a temporary haven that they could rest in… for now.

* * *

The day was now closer to the later stages of morning; most of the sun's brightness was blocked by the dark clouds, but the scenery was nevertheless brighter than before. The horrible carnage within Toad Town's boundaries was more exposed, enough to where one could witness it from several yards away. Among the bodies present were those of the Lords, including leading captain Agnetha Lindgren. The silence that accompanied the haunting scenery would be enough to deliver a chilling feeling down a person's spine. It all seemed normal for the aftermath of a grand massacre.

Except for one thing…

A dark energy was stretching itself across the swordswoman's body, similar to a lava flow coating the sides of a volcano after eruption. Before long, she was completely coated in the darkness, with no trace of her body exposed to the outer environment. Seconds passed, before the energy vaporized into thin air. Agnetha stepped out of it, completely revived and with no traces of burn injuries at all. After regaining her sword, she glanced at the charred bodies of her subordinates before rotating her head left and right to search for Mario and his party. After a minute of searching, she noticed that they were nowhere in sight. No matter; the next time that she crossed paths with them, she would slaughter them all.

"Do not think that you have defeated me yet, Mario…" she hissed before utilizing her magic to teleport out of the area.

* * *

_After witnessing the dead bodies of the citizens, I just cannot believe it. There is no way that murdering those unworthy of death is justifiable. Lillian was right about those creeps; they will not hesitate to kill innocents and will punish those who screw up even once with death. Seeing that I was almost killed by Agnetha, I really need to stop getting overconfident and listen to Lillian more. No joke._

_-Mario_

* * *

**Finally, this chapter is up… Schoolwork, among other things, was really keeping me busy.**

**In regards to the violent content that was present in the chapter, if the later parts of the story turn out to be more violent, I might raise the rating of the story to M. It all depends on how I feel that the story should turn out. If, upon seeing the later chapters, you want me to raise the rating, just let me know.**

**Notes:**

**-The lyrics presented during the man's search for Lillian comes from Opeth's "Reverie/Harlequin Forest", from the album "Ghost Reveries". Mind you that I did not include the entire set of lyrics, just the segment that I thought was the most appropriate for the scene.  
**

**-Agnetha's name is derived from a combination of Agnetha Fältskog (member of the now-defunct Swedish pop group ABBA) and Peter Lindgren (former guitarist for Opeth).**


	4. Mario's Theatre: Part 2

Mario's Theatre (pt. 2): Retracing the Steps

* * *

**After having the misfortunate to battle the Orm's Lords, Mario and his guys are now planning to enter Smithy's now-abandoned factory. The problem is: how will they get in…? The only way to find out is for Mario and Bowser to retrace the steps…**

* * *

_Spoken of in numerous circles of years past, but now forgotten by almost all life…_

_Heard of only in tones of interest and fear…_

_The mechanical harbingers of destruction, the Smithy Gang…_

_Where they sought to eliminate the peaceful world of dreams and replace it with a world of life-stealing weapons…_

_Failing with the arrival of five heroes…_

_The name of the heartless army has since faded into infamy…_

_Once perceived as a real threat…_

_Now treated as nothing but a mere myth…_

* * *

Mario and his party members, along with Toadsworth, were now situated inside the battered remains of Peach's royal palace. To be more precise, they were inside the princess's parlor, for it was the only area of the grand structure to be left undamaged by the vile Lords. A fireplace was situated in one corner of the room; it was the only thing that was bestowing a bubble of warmth upon the Smashers and Toadsworth, to avoid them catching a malignant creature known as frostbite. The parlor's architecture was, needless to say, one of regal glory. There were uniquely decorated glass-stained windows, one of them depicting the crown princess herself, an arched ceiling designed to the style of the Victorian era, a neat and smoothed-out carpet expanding across the floor, a mini-chandelier glued to the ceiling, and light posts attached to the expansive walls. Various shades of pink and white painted the room to amplify the already magnificent beauty presenting itself to the occupants. To sum it up, this parlor room was very appropriate for a lady of royal heritage.

Most of the inhabitants were seated on the bed, which was not only soft and comfortable, but had a flowing curtain that could extend around the whole rim. Mario was perhaps the sole exception; he had to remain standing to avoid spilling his blood onto the sheets. As he stretched backwards, a swelling pain tore through his chest. It was without uttering a word that Mario squeezed his chest wound tightly, as a means of blocking the searing pain.

"Toadsworth," he sighed, "Is there-a anything nearby that can patch me up?"

"Well…" the steward slowly hummed. "I suppose that you can collect something from the store to heal you, old boy. But, I don't believe that there's anyone operating that place at the moment…"

"We'll-a still have to stroll down there. I would-a rather not let my injuries get the upper hand on me." After his sentence was terminated, his grip on the chest wound grew ever tighter. It was an almost ineffective action, however. In fact, the pain's vicious hand was only crushing him further and further. The urge to yell was suddenly unbearable, with willpower being the only thing that was blocking out said urge. Luigi simply stared at his older brother in spine-chilling fear, out of the fact that he would be devastated if his brother succumbed to the jaws of death.

"He's right," DK puffed, with his arms crossed to clarify that he was not going to let his former rival perish. "He's lost a lot of blood and that stab wound looks like it almost punctured a lung. If he doesn't receive some treatment soon, he could be dead before we even reach Smithy's residence."

"Wait a minute," the elderly Toad protested, "You folks aren't planning to steal something from the store, are you? Good heavens, I suggest that you do not perform that kind of action!"

Before he could continue any further, Mario gently tugged a bag of coins out of his pocket. The dull, copper-colored bag was adorned with a Super Mushroom on the front side, while a tiny rope wrapped itself around the opening to prevent the contents from flowing outwards. The outer appearance was coated with lumps in all regions, no thanks to what was inside; it reminded some of the others of hives, the type that a person would receive as a product of an allergic reaction. Upon even the slightest movement, a metallic shuffling noise could be heard by all ears. No doubt, this bag contained some of the Mushroom Kingdom's famous currency, coins. That fact alone was enough to silence Toadsworth immediately.

"I'll-a leave the money somewhere in the store," the red-clad plumber muttered. "That way, the owners will-a understand that I've paid up for the supplies, if they are-a still alive, that is. If they are dead, then at-a least the new owners will be able to handle it. Do you-a wish to stroll down to the store with us?"

Upon hearing the question, Toadsworth completely shook out of fright. After witnessing the violent imagery outside of the castle, he vowed to remain inside so that he would not have to lay his eyes on the blood or the bodies of the good-willed citizens. Now that he mentioned it, he also noticed, for a split second, a strong smell polluting the once-pure air. The sewer system was not overflowing, as far as he could remember, and there were no spoiled food items or any sort of trash dumped out onto the streets. It was most likely originating from the bodies, a sign that decay was beginning to grip the town. Whether or not the others even had an opportunity to sniff out that rancid scent was unknown to him, but regardless, staying outside for long was just too much for him to handle.

Also, what about those robed blokes? They could still be nearby, and if they were to attack while he was with the group, he could be a casualty caught in the crossfire. The risk was just too great…

"Eh," he finally shuttered, "I'm going to stay within the castle walls. Not that I wouldn't wish to join you folks, but it's just that… the sight of the town really gives me goosebumps."

"Okay. But, one of us will-a need to stay here in the event that-a the Lords return. Who would-a like to remain in this castle until we return?"

For what seemed like a minute, the room was filled with silence. No word echoed throughout the darkened parlor, which served to intensify the still-ominous atmosphere hanging over the heads of all those present. Coincidentally, there was very small bodily motion witnessed by the leading plumber.

_They must really be pondering about this matter,_ he whispered internally. Meanwhile, Toadsworth was growing tense, for reasons that the others could not identify. Was it because of the appearances that some of the party members revealed, such as Mario's blood-soaked form or Bowser's great bulk, or the fact that the Lords could return at any time? Or, was there a deeper phobia that Mario was currently unaware of? None of them figured out the reason why, for Yoshi suddenly raised his left hand into the air.

"Yoshi will stay," the grass-colored dinosaur exclaimed. Wario fired a stare of jealously at him; he was clearly upset that he would not be able to relax within the castle's boundaries. In his perspective, he was the one who so deserved this award after the grueling battle minutes ago. Upon examining Wario's reaction, the others perceived it as a glaring example of his greedy and often selfish personality. He clearly loathed not having things flow in his direction, as far as many people understood, and he would do anything to ensure that he was above everyone else.

"No fair!" he cried. "Why does-a _he_ get to rest in here, but I-a have to stick with-a you guys on the way to the stupid store?!"

"He-a raised his hand first," Mario sternly commented, with arms crossed. "If-a you really so desire to-a relax next time, raise your hand."

"But-"

"Wario…" Bowser growled in a low, sinister tone, "Shut up and get over it. The last I need is you whining your chubby ass off about the fact that you don't get to relax this time around. Now, let's go."

Wario's skin was instantly painted with numerous shades of bright red upon hearing both comments. It was irritating enough that Yoshi was able to raise his hand first, but Mario and Bowser's comments were complete low blows altogether. This was especially true with the latter's words, which were quite vile.

_They dare insult me, _he growled within the confines of his mind, _the great Wario?! I ought to tear their throats out and hang them up in my room!_ His rage was, at this point, so intense that he had to violently punch a wall several times in order to vent all of the steam that was spraying from his ears. Once his fit of anger was over, he reluctantly stormed out of the parlor to assist Mario and the remainder of his party members, who were in the process of leaving the room. Yoshi remained with Toadsworth by the time the parlor door creaked shut.

"You okay?" the dinosaur asked.

"Yes, yes, I'm alright," the steward replied. "So, what are you folks doing here in the Mushroom Kingdom? It's been a long time since I have last seen the Mario Brothers and Bowser around here."

"Mario looking for piece of magical item known as the Staff of Björn."

"And what is this "Staff of Björn" that you are babbling about?"

"Yoshi will tell you."

* * *

Mario and his group exited the castle to return to the cold, blood-stained remains of the gutted town. As they trudged through the snow, a strange scent was beginning to overshadow the ruined streets. Although the freezing weather had dulled the valuable sense of smell for each member, this new scent was strong enough to tear through the aforementioned dullness. It was very sharp and extremely bitter to the point where the Smashers covered their noses to avoid sniffing it in. Even Wario had to shield his own nose; while he was quite accommodated to the smell of his own flatulence, the rancid scent proved to be so much worse in terms of bitterness alone. Where exactly the smell was seeping from was an unknown factor, at least to the Smashers themselves, but one thing was for certain; this smell had not been present before, when the group was arriving at the town. Along the way, Mario avoided the trails of blood to prevent contaminating his wounds, which could potentially be fatal. Being a doctor with great experience, he was not inept as to why staying clear from the blood of others was important when injured. If his wounds ever absorbed some blood with a type incompatible with his body, or if the absorbed sample harbored a disease…

A few minutes had passed before the destination was reached. The store, just like the rest of the town, was in a state of disorder, with missing and damaged windows, a sign beaten and smeared with blood drops, and the door caved in at numerous areas. As Luigi pushed the door open, the others realized that the inside was no better off than the exterior; most of the now-destroyed items were scattered across the floor with tiny shards of glass, which only worsened the mess that plagued the store, the cash register had been toppled over, along with having its electronic display smashed into mere fragments, a trail of scarlet liquid led to the exterior of the building, the lights were disabled, and, above all, the owners were nowhere in clear sight. Admittedly, it was what one would call complete disorder.

"It almost looks like an animal tore through this place," DK slowly gasped, glancing at the damage present.

"So, what are you going to buy from this place?" Diddy asked Mario out of curiosity.

"I-a need to purchase a first aid kit," the battered plumber answered. "The wounds on my body are-a too great to be-a healed by a Mushroom alone. If I-a have extra money, I may buy something else…"

While the others stayed close to the entry point, Mario approached the front table to notice a row of six items on top of it. Unlike the rest of the store, the table and its items were unaffected by the bloodshed that had occurred prior the group's arrival. In fact, there were no scratches, cave-ins, or traces of blood whatsoever. The items were also in a surprisingly stable condition, a sign that they were ready to be utilized. Underneath each item was the respective price, glued onto the side of the table. From left to right, the items were:

* * *

_Mushroom (5 coins), Tasty Tonic (6 coins), Fire Flower (7 coins), POW Block (10 coins), Courage Shell (15 coins), Medical Kit (25 coins)_

* * *

It was nothing short of a miracle for Mario that a first aid kit was present and completely untouched. Had it been missing or damaged, if not outright destroyed, his condition would have worsened on the way to Smithy's former residence, and he would not have the ability to fight off the Orm's Lords. Examining the price levels closely, Mario dragged twenty-five coins out of the bag and sprinkled the tabletop with them; a darker shade of gold dotted the wood-colored surface. Mario grabbed the first aid kit and hoisted it across his back via a thick, coal-colored strap. He then checked the coin bag to count the coins that were remaining; with his sharp eyes and precise counting, he noticed that there were twenty-two coins left. Maybe he could buy a few more items, just to be safe. Since the Lords had successfully proven themselves to be very dangerous adversaries, buying extra items would surely be an excellent alternative to entering a battle completely unprepared. Dumping out the remaining coins, he purchased a POW Block, proven to be a real earth-shaker, a Mushroom, which was a common delicacy in the Mushroom World, and a trusty Fire Flower. Stuffing the three items into his pockets, he was about to exit the store when Bowser tugged a coin bag from his shell. Where exactly Bowser received the coin bag was unknown, but it was possible that he had stolen it from a bank.

At least, that was the hunch that Mario relied on.

Mixing his twenty-one coins with Mario's and tossing it all into the beaten cash register, Bowser grabbed the remaining two items from the table and inserted them into his shell. Almost forgetting about what he had originally planned to do upon purchase, Mario then strolled back to the table to compose a note for the store owners. With a black-ink pen and a plain sheet of paper retrieved from one of the cabinets, he completed his message in a matter of seconds before leaving it next to the register. For him, if the money in the register failed to convince the owners, then maybe this paper would help out. The note was written like this:

_Inside the cash register are the sixty-eight coins delivered to the store in order to purchase all of the tabletop items. I just want to clarify that I had not stolen, but rather, purchased your items. _

_-Mario_

Once the deed was completed, the group exited the building, never to return. The travel back to the castle was almost the same as the one towards the shop, with the same decomposing smell, the still-haunting imagery, and the unchanged icy climate. No matter where the area was viewed from, it was still a frozen valley of death. The least unyielding of the six, Luigi and Diddy, were trembling in a failed effort to conceal their fear of dying. Other than journeying in a different direction, perhaps the one and only real difference was the set of items from the store, now in possession of the Smashers. As with the previous stroll, Mario shied away from the blood stains. Once inside the royal building, the warriors traveled up the rubble-coated stairway to resume temporary refuge inside the parlor. Upon entry, comforting warmth was once more upon their skins, protecting them from the bitter cold. It was also at that particular point where they were greeted by Toadsworth's gruff voice.

"Master Mario? May I have a word with you?" he coughed.

"What do you-a need?" was Mario's response. As he faced Toadsworth, he positioned the first aid kit on one of the tables and proceeded to unzip it. Within the kit were: a set of wrapping bandages designed to stop bleeding, a bottle of disinfecting hydrogen peroxide, a set of cotton balls, and other important items designed for medical treatment. Wasting no time at all, he removed a few cotton balls from one of the kit's few bags and soaked all of them with the solution.

"Yoshi here revealed to me that you fellows are a part of this organization called the Super Smash Brothers. Is that really true?"

"Yes, it's-a true. The seven of us here are-a not the only ones. Peach, who is-a in another realm at the moment, is a member as-a well, along with fighters from other worlds. Master Hand is-a the leader of the organization and he's what-a holds us together."

"Wait a second; the princess is in another realm? With who?" Worry was the expression that the steward exhibited upon hearing Mario's comment. As a mentor and close assistant, he had developed a strong sense of overseeing the safety of the crown princess, just to ensure that she stayed away from anything hazardous. It was a solid fact that Mario could recognize, noticing numerous examples of the Toad's desire to protect her in various locales. While some considered this behavior to be overprotective, the Mario Brothers could fully understand the reason as to why he continuously stayed close to her in the past; she had been subjected to numerous kidnappings by different villains, with Bowser being a very infamous example.

"She's-a with a racer known as Captain Falcon, along with five others. Falcon's group is currently in the world of F-Zero, searching for a piece of the Staff of Björn."

"Ah, yes. That reminds me, you're searching for a piece of that artifact as well, am I correct?"

"Correct-a. The five groups that the Smashers, including ourselves, were divided into are-a all searching for a piece in-a five different dimensions. We're-a doing this to help a woman named Lillian Åkerfeldt, who is from a mysterious realm different-a from our own." As he finished speaking, Mario had already cleansed his wounds with the hydrogen peroxide solution and was preparing to wrap bandages around them. He also pressed two smaller absorbent pads against the deep wounds inflicted by Agnetha's sword. Pain instantly ensued; the solution caused all of his wounds to catch fire, but the worst emerged from the chest area, especially in conjunction with the heavy pressure inflicted. The experience, in his mind, was not something that he would perceive as comforting, but it was something that he would have to limp through in order to survive.

"Yoshi also revealed to me that you folks are gathering the staff pieces to stop this "Svärtad Orm" from being released, while the robed fellows are trying to gather them so they can unleash the creature."

"Yep. According to Lillian herself, this-a creature was responsible for-a impacting all realms with death and destruction wherever it-a traveled. The staff was what-a sealed it away in the first place, thankfully. The Orm's Lords plan to revive that thing to resume its-a reign of darkness and if they succeed, then there's-a no telling how much damage it is-a capable of-a inflicting upon the realms. Right now, my group is-a set for Smithy's old factory; one of the staff's pieces will-a be there. There is one problem, however; the only known-a way to enter the structure, which is a giant, mobile sword called Exor, has-a been destroyed many years ago. So, it's-a up to Bowser and I to retrace the steps, since we are the only ones here who have-a spent some time in that dreaded factory."

"My word, Master Mario! You surely have a grueling adventure ahead of you, old boy."

"I sure-a do." At this point, Mario now had bandages over different regions of his body; each one was slowly absorbing the blood dripping from the wounds. He still possessed a beaten appearance, but now he was not as bloodied as before, with the bandages causing the rate of blood loss to be more stagnant. As he closed the first aid kit, he focused on Bowser so that the two of them could concoct a plan to infiltrate the forgotten factory. Hopefully, Mario believed, the Lords were not inside the alternate realm already…

"Bowser, do you-a have any remains of the Smithy Gang in your-a castle?" he questioned.

"What?" the Koopa grunted, firing a confused glance at the plumber. "Oh, you mean those stupid machines that occupied my castle for a while? As much as I really despise revealing things to you, I think I've seen the remains of… a giant sword on the roof. It's not an ordinary sword because it had a face embedded on the hilt. The face seemed like it was capable of motion or something like that. Why are you asking that?"

"That-a sword, Exor, was what sucked us into the dimension where-a the factory was supposedly located. If we can-a reopen the portal that is within his mouth, then we will be able to-a enter the factory to retrieve the staff piece. Our-a only obstacle is _how_ to open the mouth up."

Bowser was about to shrug Mario's comment off; there was absolutely no reason for him to be over-complicating what appeared to be a simple task. The only thing to do was to open the mouth and the portal would open as well, in his viewpoint.

_You must really be an idiotic one, pasta head,_ he believed. Suddenly, however, he was splashed with the last memory of Exor's crushing defeat.

* * *

_As Mario delivered the final, punishing deathblow, Exor unleashed a terrible groan of pure pain. Upon initiation, the groan was excruciatingly deep and noisy to the point of rumbling the entire stone-forged castle. The party, consisting of Mario, Geno, Mallow, Peach, and Bowser, could barely keep standing during the extreme vibration, just in time to witness Exor's jaw plunge. Before any of the protagonists could react, a bright scarlet light was sprayed upon them and an unidentified force started to relentlessly drag them into the sword's mouth. They desperately attempted to resist the pull, but it was all in vain. Within seconds, they were descending into a dark void…_

"_MAMA MIIIAAAAAaaaaaa…" the plumber screamed as his physical form was launched downwards. He was not the only voice to be heard throughout the darkness; the cries of the other four were piercing the otherwise quiet air of the alternate dimension, signifying absolute terror. It was only when they were floored into a trail of some sort that the screams vanished entirely, left to echo past the floating structure. However, the landing was only the start of the descent into a demented realm; surrounding the trail was a deep, purple darkness of which the vast majority of the otherworld was composed of. The trail itself was created from darkened stones that were somehow floating in the wretched realm and it was leading to a new blackness up ahead. Although faint, an ominous structure was present in the far distance, possessing a drastically different shape from Bowser's castle. Whatever the building was barely remained hidden in the darkness at that moment, but one fact was screaming into Mario's ears. This new realm was unlike anything Mario and his party had explored in the past. _

_Just where were they?_

* * *

Wait… Exor unleashed the portal just as he was defeated, so that could only mean…

The portal had to be opened up willingly by the sword himself, but he was revealed to be deceased after the incident, for sure. Thanks to remembering that one important detail, a simple task was now revealed to be a tricky one. There was no disregarding Mario's comment now…

"Alright," he finally puffed. "We'll head to my castle to retrieve Exor's remains and open up that portal. Let's get a move on!"

"Toadsworth," Luigi mumbled, slightly concerned for the steward's safety, "Can you-a handle hiding somewhere in the castle just in-a case the Lords return?"

"Of course, Master Luigi," the elderly Toad replied. "I've been hiding within a… secret room in this castle to avoid being detected by those blokes. Of course, due to safety reasons, I am not supposed to reveal its location to you; Master Mario may be aware of the location, however. But still, don't worry about me and good luck on your quest! Also, please make sure that the princess is safe."

The Smashers soon departed from the parlor, and from the castle as a whole. With the warmth no longer weighing down their shoulders, they were now leaving behind the only refuge placed within the fallen town's collapsed infrastructure and journeying out into the darkness of the vast world. The intense chill that was not in the parlor once more inhabited the spines of all those leaving the royal building. Once they were out of plain sight, Toadsworth gently creaked the door shut and stepped towards the glass-stained picture of the princess. With one final mental prayer for Mario and his group, he leaped into the picture and, quite amazingly, phased right through it, leaving behind only ripples on the physical surface. Had someone else stayed close by, the event would have been interpreted as a true example of magic. But for now, the parlor was empty and silent…

* * *

Somewhere in the skies, a glorious kingdom resided on a massive cloud. While it was not very large, per se, the center of the town possessed a grand palace where the royal family resided. Its unique architecture, vivid coloring, tall height, and decorated doors bestowed upon it a property of real majestic beauty. Surrounding it was an arrangement of lush trees that almost rivaled the height of the palace itself. It was an example of a bouquet of roses mixed together for the purpose of conjuring an grand beauty generated by each individual component. Nearby, smaller and more commonplace buildings resided in the central area and they too were coated with healthy trees. The sky was mostly empty in character, owning to the fact that the kingdom was situated in the clouds. Only the sun and the products of condensation close to the horizon were visible.

The kingdom's people were quite different from the usual creatures that populated the earth below, for their bodies were not composed of the typical flesh and blood. Instead, they appeared to be forged from clouds, much like the platform that the kingdom was currently rooted to. Their style of clothing is also noteworthy, so to speak; this type of clothing revealed bright colors while also varying moderately from one person to another. Some wore overalls, which was reminiscent to what both the Mario Brothers and the Warios would don on a daily basis, while others clothed themselves in robes, a considerably uncommon style of dressing in the Mushroom World. Overall, it was a kingdom that would be full of peace on most days, but alas, a recent turmoil was currently flooding the minds of the townspeople.

"The royal family is gone!" one of the citizens cried out, unable to conceal the tears streaming from her eyes. "Oh, where could they have gone?"

"Th-th-they were inside the palace yesterday," another cloud-person shuttered, shaking moderately, "B-b-but now, the guards cannot find them anywhere…"

"Any sign of them?" a guard asked. Unlike most of the others, he was equipped with a spear that served as a weapon in case danger was around the corner. He was also dressed in a specialized coat that signified his position as a guard. Outwardly, he was calm and free from pressure, but he was, in all actuality, just as worried as everyone else.

_If the royal family does not return,_ _we're screwed... _he wondered.

"I've checked all the hallways and bedrooms, as well as the bath area and throne room," a second guard answered. Like the first, he was garbed in a unique robe and was in possession of a silver-tipped spear. Unlike the first, however, he was visibly tense in regards to the royal family's disappearance. "The king and queen have, needless to say, completely vanished; there's no trace of 'em anywhere."

"What about their son, Mallow? If his parents really are gone, then we should be protecting him to the best of our abilities. Have you guys located him yet?"

"He's gone too, though I think he may have escaped through the hidden passage in the throne room. Still, we're truly in a very tight situation, wouldn't you agree?" The second guard released a soft sigh, while lowering his lengthy spear to a horizontal position. Meanwhile, his facial expression morphed into a grim frown, reflecting upon the difficulty of pinpointing the family's exact location. As a dedicated guard, one of his many duties was to serve as a component to a mighty shield that was meant to guard the family from potential threats. With the recent situation, he would be neglecting his duties if he were to deliberately ignore the status of Mallow and his parents, with serious consequences to accompany it. The short silence between the two cloud-people was broken upon the first one finally uttering a response.

"Yes, things seem very grim indeed, but we can't just up and abandon them to their possible fates. We could lose our jobs for that." As the conversation grinded to a halt, a foreboding rumble from below was sensed by the cloud-inhabiting citizens, coupled with the cloud's previous whiteness transforming into a duller color. The nearby clouds exhibited the same behavior. It was a definite sign that a storm was ready to pummel the earth…

* * *

It was now midday, with the sun's brightness reaching a high point in the day-night cycle. But even so, the gloomy clouds overhead still prevented full sunshine from spraying the earth. In all honesty, it was no brighter than it was in the pre-noon section of this seemingly depressing day. Snow was beginning to fall from the skies, but the fierceness of past snowfalls was no longer impacting the weather. Rather, a gentle breeze guided the individual drops into the ground. Mario and his group were now isolated from the carnage-filled Toad Town, heading for Bowser's residence. As time continued to flow in the forward direction, the further away they were from the town, the more forested the trail became. No longer were buildings or town infrastructures present; the urban society was soon phased out by the presence of the natural forest.

While the climate was warmer than it was during the morning hours, it was still freezing compared to normal circumstances during the autumn and spring. Shivers, loud and erratic, could be heard from Diddy and Yoshi, for they were the ones that seemed to be the least adapted to the freezing winds. Bowser, DK, and Wario revealed no reaction, at least not externally, for they refused to exhibit their signs of weakness. An image to keep up with; that was their goal. Luigi's teeth were gritting together tightly in response to the climate, along with his moustache catching a small but significant amount of snow. Mario, being a significantly more resilient man, expressed a minimalized version of his brother's reaction to the cold while also brushing off his moustache every few minutes.

"So," DK asked, barely choking back a shiver, "How much further do we have to travel until we reach the finish line?"

"When we-a reach Vista Hill," Mario answered, "We'll-a simply have to cross a bridge to enter the castle. The hill shouldn't-a be too far from here."

It was through sheer luck that Mario predicted correctly. As the group dragged on through the snow, the forested environment was starting to disappear, with trees being phased out with distance. Coincidentally, the typical dirt-based ground was also fading away, with darkened rock replacing it altogether. This change was not noticed immediately due to the heavy amount of snow, but as soon as the snow was reduced to a rather thin layer, the Smashers were hammering their feet, as well as hands in the case of the Kongs, against a hardened surface. The distinctive sound of feet bouncing off of solid rock was muffled, with the snow being a noise suppressant, but it was still able to echo throughout the increasingly barren land. The others could also notice that the climate was becoming… warmer?

"Hey," Wario puffed ecstatically, "It's not-a stinking cold anymore! Now, I won't-a freeze to death!" He then revealed a huge grin across his elongated face, finally relieved that the icy conditions were fading away. This was paired up with fists soaring into the air and constant chuckling, as if he had achieved a huge victory over the climate.

_He's so full of himself,_ Bowser pondered, staring at the miser in disgust. _Maybe I should rake him across the face to shut him up._ The others, however, were far less optimistic. In fact, except for Mario and Bowser, they were filled with continuously increasing suspicion. This suspicion was fueled by the sight of the snow ceasing to dominate the landscape, along with the scenery succumbing to a new darkness.

"Hold on, why is it becoming warm all of a sudden?" Diddy squeaked. "I mean, we're in the middle of January, and spring shouldn't be around for the next two months or so…"

"You'll-a find out why in a moment," Mario muttered. After the comment, the group noticed that the path was now beginning to shape itself into a rising slope, with no permanent traces of snow to be revealed as far as the visual details were concerned. A grand column of ash and smoke poked its head out from beyond the hill, which was a typical indicator of volcanic activity... and an ominous sign for most of the party members, especially Mario and Luigi. The very heavy smoke produced a sharp smell sensed by all, while the sky was darkened because of the ashes mixing up with the heavens above. Another noteworthy detail was the now-complete absence of trees near the slope, whereupon the area seemed to resemble a barren wasteland that a person would not even consider residing in.

A cautious stroll towards a deadly fire…

A journey into a familiar darkness unaffected by the time of day…

Mario's travels to _that_ place were, in one form or another, a deadly descent into a stronghold of evil. Bowser, on the other hand, hoarded comfort with his hands; he was finally returning to the place that he dubbed his true home after spending a significant number of years at the Smash Mansion. Once he arrived, he would be able to see his beloved children again, along with the rest his fellow brethren. He could then spend some time with the Koopa family, maybe even plan to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom once more, but only after the threat of the Svärtad Orm was vanquished.

It was just so pleasant to be reunited with the Koopa Kingdom.

His greatest joy was eventually revealed in the form of a castle decorated with spikes, along with spiked Koopa shells topping off the towers to grant the stone-forged structure a feeling of Koopa Troop-based power. The distant mountain, which happened to be where the castle was glued to, possessed the color of iron oxide, not unlike what was present on the surface of Mars. Additionally, one section had Bowser's menacing face carved onto it, which served as a monument to the Koopa King himself. Surrounding the mountain was a moat of boiling, highly viscous lava. It was a unique feature of the castle that was almost impossible to miss, especially for those who visited the area frequently. For Bowser, the overall scenery was home, sweet home indeed…

"Bowser, where is bridge?"

Yoshi's comment bisected the Koopa's elation like an axe chopping a log into two equal-length pieces. Losing his sight on the castle, the latter lowered his head to realize that the bridge was entirely absent. Considering that the massive moat prevented castle access on the ground, there seemed to be no other way to reach the mountain. They were officially stuck.

"What the…!?" Bowser gasped. "How is that possible? I could have sworn that I assigned some of my guards to bridge duty when I left this place!"

"There are no guards at the bridge from where I am standing," DK sighed in frustration. "Are they on a break?"

"Are you kidding me? I made it perfectly clear that the bridge was to be protected at ALL times and that slacking off was not allowed! I am SO going to tear their heads off when I enter the castle… Those lazy slobs…"

"Well, we've got lazy guards on our hands. Huh, this is going to be fun."

Luigi ignored the conversation and glanced at the lands in front of the hill. For a while, nothing seemed to distance itself from the usual environment of Bowser's residence. Nearly everything was lost in a sea of red, black, and bright orange. The younger plumber could also sense his eyes squinting harshly just to locate abnormalities from where he was glued to. With his good luck rendered invisible to him, he had to rub his eyes to dispel the painful sensation shooting into his ocular muscles. Irritability was an eagle soaring over his head, and it had no intention of leaving anytime soon.

Meanwhile, Bowser decided to contact Lillian out of curiosity, for he was suddenly reminded of the regenerative abilities that the Lords had in their circle. This special feature was not something that could appear out of the blue; there had to be an explanation for it, no matter how complex or ridiculous. Maybe Lillian could provide some insight on this matter and on the strange blood of the Lords, since she was from the same world as the enemy. Since he had nothing else to do other than stare at his castle, he decided to use this opportunity to learn more before it was too late. Unsure of how to contact her directly, he decided to slowly close his eyes while simultaneously pressing his hands against his cranium in a bid to hear her voice…

"Well," Mario puffed, with arms crossed, "We'll-a need to search for another way of-a entering the castle. With the bridge out-a and the moat surrounding the castle entirely, an air-based approach is our-a only option."

"Lillian, where are you?" Bowser grunted, hoping to receive a response from the maiden. His voice was out of hearing range of the others, as he moved himself to the lower part of the hill.

"_Bowser?"_ a voice suddenly resonated. "_Did you contact me?"_

"Hey, I was just wondering… Where did the Lords get their regenerative powers?"

"_What?"_

"I've noticed that they can regenerate deep wounds in a matter of seconds. During an earlier battle, I've slashed a couple of them up, but they were to heal themselves in an instant. I'm being totally honest here. Are they under the effect of magic or something like that? I would really like an answer."

"_Unfortunately, yes. They are under the effect of what is known as "Återuppliva". It's a magical spell that grants them a specialized ability to survive and regenerate from injuries that would be fatal to a normal human, which is what enforces their reputation as deadly foes. The spell is also known to enhance the physical strength of its users."_

"Hmm… Fire is one way to deliver a permanent end to those guys, am I right? Luigi was able to expose that sort of weakness to me upon killing one of those robed freaks with a fireball."

"_Yes; burns disrupt Återuppliva's healing process by damaging the cellular structure of the user's body, which will result in the cancellation of the spell and a fatality for the user in minutes. The other way to nullify the advanced regeneration is through dismemberment. Återuppliva cannot handle the loss of a limb or any equivalent injury, so if your group has access to burning or slashing attacks, utilize them."_

"I also have another question," Bowser continued, still attempting to feed his hungry mind. "Why do the cultists have black blood? Is that a side effect of the spell, or is it the product of something else?"

"_Actually, I do not have the answer to that question. I will have to examine this property in further detail. Also, how is Mario? I noticed his vital signs veering into abnormal territory for a few minutes before dropping back into normal ranges."_

Bowser glanced at his bandaged foe and temporary ally. While he appeared to have blood on him, especially on the bandages, he was still standing with no visible problem. But even so, there was no telling how severely his wounds could affect him, especially in battle situations. He was very tempted to lie, so ready to claim that Mario was dead. It was nothing more, nothing less than an example of his intense rivalry with the plumber. He had long desired to be the victor of the ongoing struggle, but he would have to shove said battle aside, for an even greater threat loomed in the air.

"He was… cut up by a member of the Lords," he replied. "The member in question happened to be the captain of the group that we battled earlier."

The comment seemed to chill Lillian mentally, as Bowser could hear a small gasp from her mouth. The Koopa King was slightly confused at this; what was it about Agnetha that frightened her so much? Sure, the Lords were dangerous foes, but why was she ruling out just the captain? While he was still attempting to figure out the answer, he heard the benevolent maiden whisper a nervous comment.

"_A captain? Oh, no… Bowser, I need you and your group to avoid battling with the captain if you can do so."_

"What do ya mean? I've already taken her down before, so she should be no problem-o."

"_You may have defeated her once, but, for reasons not yet revealed, she can revive herself completely, unlike a standard Lord. She and her fellow captains also possess far greater combat prowess in battle, so fight them only as a last resort."_

"What the…"

Before he could speak any further, the telepathic link was severed. Now he was really confused. How could Agnetha revive after being completely scorched to death, even though Lillian had clearly stated that the reason for such was unknown? Upon asking that question to himself, another one that he had not considered before suddenly zipped into his mind. Who was granting the Lords the magical powers of Återuppliva? He remained isolated inside his mind to discover the answers, until Luigi dragged him out of his stupor with an urgent comment.

"Guys," he spat, "Something tells me that the bridge was-a destroyed." He pointed directly to the lower valley, which was a barren section of the earth decorated with blood-colored rocks, sharp rises at scattered points in the terrain, and sluggish lava flows. The molten area was in normal condition, except for a massive column of lighter-colored rubble stretching out from the hillside all the way to the dangerous moat. Stone, wood, and steel littered the darkened land, with a few segments ensnared in the process of melting due to the extreme heat of the volcanic rivers. It was, in a way, quite similar to a batch of walnuts sprinkled on a chocolate-flavored cupcake or perhaps a set of candles on a birthday cake.

"Oh, no…" Diddy gasped, with eyes widening in shock.

"That's not-a all," the green-clad plumber continued. "Get a load of this." He redirected his pointer finger to the opposite end of the bridge, where the grand doors were supposedly located. As with the lower valley, the entryway seemed to be normal at first, for the great distance between hill and castle hindered the ability to discern exact details. The Smashers had to squint their eyes to examine the area more efficiently. Chilling horror would eventually reveal itself in the form of two deceased Koopa guards glued next to the doors. These soldiers were impaled in the chest by lengthy spears, creating deep, bleeding wounds at the very center of their bodies. The liquid of living organisms oozed from both sides of the torsos, staining the plain remains of the bridge and dripping into the moat below. Their heads and limbs were slouched downwards and exhibited no signs of momentum at all, which was a simple and common sign of death. To add, the eyes of the guards appeared to express pure terror and shock, possible emotions that they were wrapped in before the Reaper overpowered them with his scythe. It was a shocking sight to the vast majority of the party.

"But that-a could only mean…" Mario muttered, "The castle was-a attacked before we arrived here."

"Are you… fucking kidding me?!" Bowser roared, eyes flaring up with fury. "Once I enter my castle, I'm gonna find and tear apart the bastards that did this!"

Mario glanced at the distance between the two endpoints of the former bridge, attempting to figure out the possibilities of reaching the other side. In obvious terms, he could not reach the other side, as his jumping skills were not powerful enough.

What about Luigi? His leaping prowess was superior for sure, but this gap was far too large for even a Super Jump to handle. At best, his specialized move was most likely going to reach the moat, where he would be dipped into the lava and slowly burn to death.

Yoshi's flutter jump had the capability to cover the horizontal distance, but it lacked the effective vertical propulsion to remain at the same height as the bridge. Bowser had almost no way of reaching the other side, since his large mass and poor hops were more than capable of dragging him down to the valley below. Wario, despite being a heavyweight, could reach massive heights with his Wario Waft. However, not only was it missing a horizontal component in regards to distance, but the move required him to be at full charge in order for its usefulness to be utilized. DK was a good jumper and his Spinning Kong had the power to keep him in the air for a decent length of time, but neither of his abilities would fully aid him in this task.

Last, but not least, Diddy; he had a jetpack in his possession, correct? No doubt about it, he was the only one who could reach the other end of the bridge with no problem.

"Diddy," the plumber requested, "Can you-a use your jetpack to reach the castle?"

"Sure," the smaller ape replied. Without hesitation, he activated his trusty jet pack to prepare for take-off. Streams of fire soared out of the bottom of the engines as Diddy gradually started to levitate into the air. After adjusting the power of the jets to a speedier configuration, he clenched the straps tightly to secure himself before launch. A sudden jolt then rocked his entire body, followed by most of the scenery blurring itself out with the introduction of high speeds; it was like abruptly staring at a water-painted canvas of the vile land. While traveling to the front of the stone-carved castle, cool winds sprayed onto his body to counterbalance, if not outright overwhelm, the heat of the deadly terrain. While the region displayed higher temperatures than normal regardless of season, the winter wind still placed it into a chokehold with chilling properties.

Successfully crossing the moat, Diddy landed on the remaining portion of the bridge, right between the two impaled guards. Now that he was closer to the doorway, he could examine it in greater detail. A golden depiction of Bowser's facial features was adorned on the handles, with a vertical gap causing the face to be split into two. The polished handles served as a stark contrast to the rest of the door, which was forged from rusted iron. It was nothing more than a simple dichotomy between elegance and decay, and it was also similar to staring at two roses, one red and one black. Despite a blood-freezing fear shaking his body like a ragdoll, along with an urge to flee from the castle, Diddy stepped forward and yanked the two doors open.

As the interior entered his view, he realized that it was almost entirely pitch-black: a power outage, maybe? The answer was left unclear, but the simian was not too worried about that matter as he paced towards the room to investigate. Initially, he had difficulty discerning what was in the room; besides the lights being stuck in an inactive state, the dim light that sprayed from the doorway was ineffective in illuminating such a massive room. The warmer temperatures appeared to fade away upon entering the room, with the stone deflecting the heat of the volcanic land and rendering the interior a frozen vessel. While strolling forward, one of his hands landed on a liquid.

"Huh," he sighed, "Water. Some dude spilled his drink in here and got too lazy to clean it up."

His guess would be proven wrong immediately. As he continued his travel, the liquid was glued to his fist like honey. When he stopped to examine it, he noticed that it possessed a dark color to it. With the bare minimum light present, he glanced at it further… only to be exposed to a terrifying fact.

"B-blood?!" he gasped. It was only then that he twisted his head in all directions to find himself trapped in a new, more nightmarish situation, with his eyes now adjusting to the darkness. The two murdered guards outside were just the tip of the iceberg, for there were many more casualties stuck inside the castle walls. The bodies of numerous Koopas, Hammer Brothers, Magikoopas, Koopatrols, Lakitus, and Paratroopas littered the main hall. Most of them were either impaled or slashed at, painting the hall with copious amounts of blood. One Koopatrol in particular was missing his head, while several Koopas and Hammer Brothers were crushed underneath a large mound of rubble. As Diddy proceeded to view the ceiling, there was a chandelier hanging from above, and it was decorated with a deceased Magikoopa. This creature had a rope constricting his neck, which led Diddy to assume that he was hanged by an attacking assailant. The horrific scenery was further amplified by destroyed statues, incinerated portraits that were reduced to ashes, a torn-up carpet with its pieces scattered across the floor, and broken doors. It was a classic example of a massacre's aftermath.

"Did the Lords cause all of this…?" he slowly gasped. He was about to continue his progress when the doors suddenly slammed shut. Leaping up into the air, he was now completely swallowed by the darkness. This was definitely not a pleasant sign. He sprinted back to the doors to pry them open, but…

"What the! They're locked!" Even after that important fact was forced into his mind, he still struggled in vain to shove the doors open. With every subsequent attempt, his arms were losing their pushing strength; after trying again and again, they was reduced down to mere noodles that could not even push a medium-sized crate filled with items. Trying to catch his breath, Diddy gradually rose from the ground to regain his composure. If the main doors were locked, he believed, then the only options available were to either stay put in the hall or explore the rest of the castle. Holding his position in the hall was out of the question. In fact, just staying near the dead bodies was already driving him into an uncomfortable state. On the other hand, if he decided to venture out, then maybe, _just maybe_, he would encounter the remains of Exor and benefit his team greatly. With a small grunt, he leaped from his spot to travel up the stairway, but a low growl suddenly resonated throughout the hall.

"Wait a minute, who's there?" he shivered. Once again, he twisted his head in all directions, this time to locate the source of the menacing voice. While this was occurring, he equipped himself with his simple yet effective popguns… just in case he was forced to fight. He aimed at various directions, with his senses on full alert. Slight sounds were suddenly louder, and his nerves were at maximum sensitivity. As the growling continued, Diddy's instincts dominated his mindset, with him spinning around even faster to pinpoint the position of his threat. Low, quiet thuds echoed, followed by more growling.

"Where are you?" the ape muttered.

As he rotated again, he caught a brief glimpse of a very large figure, its outline to be more exact.

And that was the last thing that he noticed before a crushing blow struck him in the torso.

_CRACK!_

Diddy's grip on his popguns was lost instantly as he was hurled into a wall with brute force. Meanwhile, the double impact inflicted painful injuries to the point where he could not sustain himself; broken bones were present in his torso thanks to the attack, while his legs and head suffered the full impact against the wall. As he slid downwards, he was slowly transcending into a state of unconsciousness. The last thing that he noticed was a figure approaching him in a sluggish but threatening manner. This figure possessed a very dark purple outline around it, just a few shades lighter than the darkness that coated the main hall, and a pair of glowing red eyes that screamed pure evil. Before it could close in on him, he blacked out completely.

* * *

Back at Vista Hill, the other six were in a state of confusion as they noticed the castle doors closing by themselves. While it was unclear as to why the door exhibited such strange behavior, it was quickly realized that something unusual was occurring, which could be an unpleasant sign…

"What happened over there?" Yoshi mumbled, with his eyes glued to the doorway.

"I have no idea," DK answered. "But I hope Diddy's alright in there. I mean, I would really be peeved if he was killed or terribly injured; he is a cousin of mine, after all."

"You think Lords closed doors?"

The ape scratched his chin for a few seconds. "Possibly, but I can't tell for sure."

"Well, we can-a worry about him later," Mario commented. "Right now, we need to-a focus on entering the castle ourselves. We should-a head down to Nimbus Land; if I-a remember correctly, there is a bus service that can-a travel to almost any location in the Mushroom World, even Bowser's fortress."

After his final words, the older plumber strolled down the hill, with the others following suit. Within the time that passed by, the climate was regressing back to its original state and snow once more overwhelmed the landscape. Unlike the initial travel, a snow storm was now ravaging the earth, causing a heavy whiteness to loom in the air. Coupled with the previously whitened environment, it was just enough to limit what the Smashers could glance at. Also, there was a faint sound that only a handful of them had truly noticed; past the blowing winds was a high-pitched whining that could only have been produced by a young child's voice. It seemed to resemble the sound of crying, as far as the group could tell.

When Mario cocked his head to the left, he instantly caught a glimpse of a figure next to a pine tree. With the snow storm limiting visibility, it was very difficult to examine the person's exact details. Mario had to close in on the person to identify him or her. Upon reaching closer distances, he realized that this person appeared to be a younger male composed of clouds, instead of the usual flesh and blood. In regards to attire, he was wearing violet-tinted shoes and a blue-white striped uniform, complete with a belt. Mario froze in place at the sight of those details, only to be consumed by a sudden revelation.

"Mallow…?" he muttered. "Is that really you?"

The sobbing prince of Nimbus Land redirected his attention upon hearing Mario's comment. As the Smashers approached him, he struggled to control his tears to avoid embarrassing himself, only to realize that he lacked the emotional integrity to do so. Facing the group, he quickly wiped his tears as a means of saving face, but that failed to prevent the others from clearly noticing his emotional state, for they were now only a few meters away from him. Something was definitely bothering the young prince. Mario was ready to investigate the problem.

"What's-a the problem, Mallow?" was the plumber's question.

Barely restraining another urge to shed some tears, Mallow raised his head to face his close friend. As his emotions gradually stabilized themselves, the snow storm appeared to fade away in an instant. There seemed to be a mystical sort of link between the prince and the climate, but Mario was the only one who understood it entirely; the others were quite oblivious on that matter. Finally earning the strength to speak with a steady tone, Mallow muttered one shocking comment:

"My parents… They have been kidnapped."

Eyes widened at the comment and chills shot up spines as the Smashers realized that another problem was thrust into their laps in a split second. Silence overshadowed the group for what appeared to a few seconds, with neither side producing a sound. The only sound present for the moment was the wind rushing through the forest, a typical aspect of nature. It was only after the few seconds passed that Mario finally continued the conversation.

"Wait, kidnapped? By who?"

"Well," the prince mumbled, "The kidnappers were wearing black robes that obscured their identities; the robes had this snake-like thing embedded on the front. I wonder if the kidnappers are a part of an organization of sorts…"

Once again, shock overshadowed the group, but the period of silence that followed Mallow's second comment was much shorter. In fact, the description of the kidnappers immediately forced DK to utter one simple comment.

"Aw, shit…"

* * *

_This day just doesn't seem to get any better. First, we find massacred citizens in Toad Town, then my nephew gets trapped in Bowser's residence, and now we have a kidnapping situation on our hands! I've faced Kremlings, evil apes, Snowmads, and other typical baddies that I would encounter in the jungle, but the Orm's Lords are definitely unlike any other enemy that I've beaten the crap out of in the past. Seriously, not even my past experiences were able to prepare me for the potential destruction that those robed dudes could cause. I really hope that something good happens soon._

_-Donkey Kong_

* * *

**Looks like the group has three tricky situations to handle, eh? The best we can do for them now is to give them our support.**

**Notes:**

**-"**_**Återuppliva**_**" is the Swedish term for "revitalize/revive".**

**-The secret room that Toadsworth leaped into during the chapter is based on one of the secret areas in Super Mario 64.**


	5. Mario's Theatre: Part 3

Mario's Theatre (pt. 3): Impending Danger

* * *

**A kidnapping disaster, the loss of one member, and the search for a means of reopening the portal to Smithy's dimension. Can the remaining Smashers in Mario's party handle all three problems before it's too late?**

**As a little side note, I will use the _Paper Mario_ incarnation of Star Hill, so it will be to the north of Toad Town, compared to being to the southwest like it was in _Super Mario RPG_. Nimbus Land's location will remain unchanged.**

* * *

_Since the beginning of time, blood has been shed in the name of numerous reasons…_

_From justice…_

_To territorial conflict…_

_To God…_

_To simple, unfettered sadistic pleasure…_

_But when an innocent's life is intentionally taken by an aggressor…_

_The killing will be ruled as unjustified, regardless of the killer's motives or the structure of society…_

_Over the course of history, many innocent lives have been lost as a result of heartless crimes…_

_These killings are the equivalent of tearing roses away from their resting spots and leaving them to wither away…_

_Such lost souls have never deserved a cruel fate, for they were pure of heart…_

_Having committed no act that would spark a rational reason to drench the soil with blood…_

_To this day, the good-willed souls of those who were victims of homicides and other death-related injustices wander the earth, with no means of sleeping in peace…_

* * *

"Wait," Mario gasped, absorbing the information received via Mallow's comment, "You-a mean to tell me that the Orm's Lords kidnapped your-a parents?"

An affirmative whimper was the only response the young prince produced. Not too long after, he proceeded to wipe away the tears streaming from his eyes. This action, however, had a negligible effect on controlling his deep sorrow.

"You have got to be kidding me," DK muttered in a tone of frustration. "Another situation on our hands… The Lords are really starting to make this journey more complicated than it has to be." Meanwhile, Luigi was more curious about the kidnapping. True, it was simply going to stall the group's search for the staff piece, as DK was so kind to point out, but it could also reveal an opportunity to prevent further bloodshed and possibly weaken the enemy forces. After witnessing the bloodbath at Toad Town, Luigi had created a new oath for himself; he would attempt to save as many innocent lives as possible, regardless of the risk involved. Now, an important question could allow the aforementioned opportunity to reach full circle…

"Were you-a able to figure out where the Lords are taking your-a parents?" he slowly muttered.

As Mallow tried to force out an answer from his mouth, he was momentarily halted by a sniffing fit. The sniffs were long and sharp, enough to where the conversation between him and the group was temporarily frozen. It was quite reminiscent to the current winter solidifying a nearby river for the next couple of weeks to come. Wario, being an impatient type of person, was immediately tempted to yell something belittling at the heartbroken prince, but a glare of suspicion from his red-clad counterpart dissipated his chances at doing so. The others waited, with a mixed sensation of warm hope and heart-freezing fear spreading throughout their physical forms.

"Well," Mallow finally croaked, "I was able to listen in on a conversation between a few of those… guys. They were talking about dragging my parents to some magical hill."

"A magical hill?" Mario uttered. The comment was far too vague for him; if he was to successfully rescue the royal couple of Nimbus Land, then he would have to coax the prince into providing more details immediately. In situations like this, mere minutes or even seconds could mean the difference between life and death. "What-a knowledge do you have on this-a hill?"

"According to those creepy guys, the hill is where wishes are supposedly granted. Speaking of which, I think I've traveled to that place once, but I don't remember much of it now…"

"Wait," Bowser was suddenly taken aback by that comment, "You mean Star Hill? Is that where those cloaked freaks are going?" Though it had been many years since his last visit to that place, Bowser's memories of Star Hill were still firmly latched onto his mind. His initial visit could be best described as one of awe and curiosity, being surrounded by the wishes of the Mushroom World's residents in a literal sense. At the time of the Smithy Gang incident, the sacred location was filled with varying mysteries that seemed to quickly overwhelm his mind, although he later discovered, via studies from a trusted Magikoopa called Kammy, that there was a nearby sanctuary called Star Haven. Inside the heavenly area was an artifact known as the Star Rod, which was able to grant the wishes of its user. Fueled by a desire to defeat Mario and rule the land of the Toads, he and Kammy had stormed the realm one fateful day, snatched the artifact from its resting place, and converted the Star Spirits, who served as overseers of the aforementioned realm, into playing cards to imprison them. It was the perfect set-up for a kingdom-conquering plan…

At least, that was what he originally believed.

"Yeah, that's where they're going." Mallow slowly wiped the tears off his face while fighting off the gloominess within the echelons of his mind. "Can you guys help me, please?"

Always the person to assist those in need, Mario quickly replied before any of the others could react to Mallow's comment. "Sure, we'll-a help you. Besides, the Orm's Lords really need to-a learn their lesson."

"And what might-a that lesson be?" Wario asked out of curiosity. Suddenly, much to the chagrin of the others, he decided to create an answer for himself in order to inflate his already massive pride even further. "Oh, I-a know the answer! "Don't-a miss with the great Wario!""

"Or better yet," Luigi muttered, "The answer would-a be this: don't-a mess with any of us." It was a surprising burst of confidence from the younger brother of Mario. Typically, he was deemed a coward by a large number of individuals, lacking the courage to handle situations that Mario would overcome with ease. However, there were times when Luigi had to step up to the challenge of overcoming his fears; his memorable journey to a haunted mansion was one grand example, when Mario was imprisoned by an army of Boos. That building harbored two of Luigi's worst and most well-known fears: ghosts and darkness. But even so, he was left with no choice but to conquer his personal phobias and save his older brother, with the help of a tech-savvy professor named Elvin Gadd. With this new adventure, he would have to be courageous like his brother, for if he allowed his fear of the Lords to paralyze him…

"Let's get moving," DK ordered. With his words, the group, now accompanied by Mallow, initiated the travel to the beloved Star Hill. With each step, the Smashers were venturing back into the familiar winter environment, far away from the volcanic valleys of Dark Land. Not much time had passed before Mario realized that he had forgotten to introduce his party members to the young prince.

"Mallow," he sighed, "I would-a like to introduce you to my group."

* * *

Blackness was the very first thing that enveloped his eyes as he was regaining consciousness. Something was blocking other images from zipping into view. It was most likely a bag of some sort, as he also realized that it was very difficult for him to breathe. Aside from the darkness and the restricted air supply, whispering voices were entering his ears like a swarm of bees rushing into a hive, and they were speaking in a language that he had no familiarity with. This only served to worsen his fears, as opposed to quelling them, for he was left without a clue as to what form of action the people near him would initiate. Were they going to slay him, or were they going to do something even worse…?

Before his mind could descend any further into the near-endless void of blood-freezing questions, the darkness was dispelled by an outside force. The new light, unfortunately, did little to lower the tension rocking his body, for it was revealed that he was surrounded by unidentified figures donning blackened robes. As he was regaining his composure, a realization suddenly slapped him in the cheek.

* * *

_As the citizens of the kingdom were preparing to rest for the night, it seemed that the rest of this day would be a normal one. It was here that he, the primary ruler, began to reflect on the recent activity within the Mushroom World; years had passed without any threat from outside forces, including the Smithy Gang, and peace continued to flourish through the days and nights. It was truly a time of tranquility. In a matter of minutes, a younger person entered the throne room; the man immediately recognized the person to be his son, the prince of this kingdom._

"_How's my boy?" the man joyfully asked of his son._

_Mallow, now a younger adolescent, raised his head towards the ceiling, which was painted to resemble the lovely skies. He replied, "Everything's fine. It's just another day without any bad guys terrorizing the Mushroom World. Hopefully, it stays that way."_

"_Now that we have the time, your mother and I can prepare you for ruling this kingdom when you come of age. We'll teach you all the basic rules of being a king."_

"_It's gonna be a hard trial; isn't it, father?" Mallow's voice was shaking with nervousness. Confidence was not one of his stronger points, in all truthfulness; second-guessing himself was his usual reaction to many situations, especially when he was the one person that could mean the difference between success and failure. _

"_It will be, but I believe that you are more than capable of completing the trials that lay ahead of you."_

_Mallow allowed the positive message to sink into his mind to boost his confidence. No longer was doubt overshadowing his mind; he soon started to believe that he was ready to face the trials that were ahead of him. As his father detached himself from his chair, the young prince followed suit. However, they were not more than a few meters away from their initial spots when a faint thud echoed throughout the palace's foundations. The father and son glanced at varying spots of the throne room, unsure of where the sound originated from._

"_What was that?" the man muttered to himself._

"_I have no idea…" Mallow immediately replied, even though the question was not directed at him. "Maybe we should check-"_

_But he was cut off when the sound of glass shattering pierced his eardrums. A body was hurled through one of the windows in an instant. As it slammed into the floor with great force, the duo recognized the distinctive robes that it was decorated with. It was a guard's signature coat, tinted with a golden color and decorated with what appeared to be the insignia of kingdom. The symbol, in specific terms, was a water-colored palace glued to the top of a nimbus cloud, which was painted with the essence of silver. Such details, though, were merely stepping stones to a greater and certainly more horrifying characteristic. Deep cuts were scattered across the puffy skin of the guard, with some of them created by the shards of the window and a few more produced by a cutting weapon of some sort, no doubt a sign that he was attacked by something dangerous. A white substance was slowly oozing out of the cuts, distorting the colors of the carpet. As the duo approached him, the guard mustered whatever strength he had remaining in his weakened body to raise his head up._

"_Your Highness…" he slowly croaked. "You and… your family must… leave the palace immediately… There's an enemy group… within the kingdom… coming for all of you…"_

"_What?" Mallow gasped, chilled by the news. "Is it Valentina's army?"_

"_Worse… They're-"_

_CRACK!_

_No further information was revealed, as the shattering of glass and splintering of wood interrupted his sentence. Within seconds, mysterious figures wearing black robes swarmed the room by the dozens, destroying the delicate components that formed the serene architecture in the process. For a very small fragment of time, this invasion almost reminded the man of a previous incident that occurred years before; when the power-hungry woman known as Valentina had attempted to usurp the throne to the kingdom, her army of monsters was able to flood the hallways and hold him, along with his wife, hostage. For a while, the royal couple was locked away until Mario and his group expelled the malignant group out of the palace. The memories of that incident had remained etched into his mind since then, but there was no time to focus on them now, for an imminent threat was approaching…_

"_Father," Mallow shrieked, "What are we gonna do?!" _

"_We have to evacuate the palace this instant," the man replied. "If they get their hands on us… Mallow, alert your mother about this. Now!"_

_As Mallow darted into the bedroom area, the man was suddenly grabbed by one of the figures. When he tried to resist, a harsh blow to the back of the head was the response from the hostile group. Sinking to his knees, the man was left dazed from the punishing strike and could not stabilize himself right away. This allowed one of the unknown enemies to slide a bag over his head, perhaps for the purpose of blinding him, and before he could quickly remove it, another blow rattled his skull. This time, he was incapacitated right off the bat, falling to the floor like a dropped ton of bricks. In the few seconds that he was conscious following the attack, he could hear screams from two people. One of the aforementioned screams originated from Mallow, while the other was released from a woman. A chill of discomfort ripped through his body as he recognized who the woman was…_

* * *

Reality forced an ugly truth into his mind. He had been snatched from the sanctuary of his palace by a new group of hostiles, one that remained out of sight from the eyes of all.

Until now.

Confronted by the sole fact, he wished to believe that the situation was nothing but a mere nightmare. But it was all too real for it to be considered an illusion.

The person in question was composed of clouds, just like Mallow. Unlike the young prince, however, he was decorated with distinct striped clothing, paired up with a golden crown resting on the top of his head. Another major difference was the presence of facial hair, shaped into a fine mustache that seemed similar to Mario's, although it was significantly smoother than what the plumber exhibited. To complete the list of physical characteristics, a wood-colored curl of hair rested on his moist scalp, identical to Mallow's in all but color. These features were placed into one mixture to produce an image of a king, radiating regal power. However, such power failed to grant him confidence in this situation, for his captors appeared to be hellish demons that were more than capable of striking fear into the hearts of their enemies.

"Did you enjoy your trip, Your Highness?" a voice hissed. On cue, King Nimbus, the leading monarch of Nimbus Land, raised his head to locate the speaker of such an intimidating comment. While searching, he realized that his queen was right next to him, gagged and wrapped up with a long string of rope. Like her husband, the cloud-person known as Queen Nimbus was a monarch of the cloud-based land. She was blessed not only with long robes that seemed to shine with great power, but also with a golden crown that was identical to the king's in almost every way. As a side note, the very top of her forehead was home to a pinkish tuff of hair, a simple carbon copy of Mallow's. But despite her position of authority, her facial expressions were of fear, which paired up perfectly with her voice exhibiting intermittent periods of whimpering. Witnessing his queen like this forced King Nimbus to shiver a bit, but his fear would worsen as soon as the voice hissed again.

"Silly man, I am right in front of you." As the king directed his attention towards the area ahead of him, it was soon revealed that a female member of the group with a red emblem on her cloak was perched right next to him in dangerously close proximity. As she raised her hood, red hair flowed forward and a surprisingly lovely face was illuminated by the faint glow of the hill. Also affected by the glow were her eyes, those extremely sharp vessels of visual perception; the greenness present appeared to intensify when her head was lowered, almost as if her eyes had magical powers embedded in them.

_A younger woman with natural beauty_, the king pondered. _What's she doing in a group like this? _Alas, this manifestation of beauty was but an effective disguise to the vile personality that lingered underneath.

"What business do you have with us?" he muttered, with a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"Oh, nothing much," the woman, who appeared to be the leader of the group, replied, "We just need the location of one of the Staff of Björn's pieces hidden within this realm, and you're going to reveal its exact location, one way or another."

The king almost immediately raised his voice in protest. Why was she interrogating him about a subject that he had absolutely no idea about? It was a very unfair decision, but then again, there was no indicator as to whether or not they, the cloaked ones, would treat the royal couple fairly to begin with. "What?! I honestly have no clue as to what you are talking about…!"

The woman was unconvinced by this comment. "We know that you are hiding the piece somewhere in this realm, worm, and do not think that lying to us will let you squirm your way out of this. Now, answer me; where is the staff piece?"

"I… I…" Even with his power as monarch of Nimbus Land, the king was at an absolute loss of words. In complete honesty, he had never even heard of the Staff of Björn or even the piece of it that resided in the Mushroom World. Being as truthful as possible was the one and only route to travel, but, unbeknownst to him, the enemies around him were the type of people that would not be satisfied with any answer... except for the one they themselves desired. Fearing for his life, he muttered a slow answer:

"I do not know… I have never heard of this artifact that you're talking about, so just let me and my queen be…"

"Very well, then," the woman whispered. Shortly after, she signaled one of her subordinates to stand behind Queen Nimbus, much to the delight of the subordinate himself. Before the king could even register just what was going to occur, a loud zapping noise ripped through the atmosphere around the hill, mixed in with the still-gagged queen screaming out of pure pain. Stumbling backwards in shock, he was confronted with a scene of his beloved wife receiving copious amounts of electricity from the attacker's palms as a result of his failure to answer properly. Meanwhile, the leader was slowly chuckling in a very sadistic manner, apparently receiving some degree of joy from the heartless act of torture. Especially with her vile personality in consideration, she hoped that by tormenting the queen, King Nimbus would be forced to reveal the piece's location. Seconds had passed before a response to the event was thrown forth.

"STOP!" the king finally yelled. "Leave her alone!"

Surprisingly, the voltage rushing through the queen's body was interrupted on cue. In response, the leader gradually hoisted King Nimbus off the ground by the neck before standing him upright. A menacing glare was present in her eyes, possibly for the purpose of intimidating the poor man; the attempt was successful, for he shivered when his face met hers.

"Are you ready to tell us now?" the leader spat forcefully.

"Why are you doing this to us?" the king shot back, now worried for the safety of the monarchy. "What kind of monster are you?"

The woman's green eyes seemed to build up a fire as a natural stimulus to the comment. "Who are you calling a monster? You foolish little bastard, I am something much greater than you and the pathetic creatures that roam this damn planet. I am a glorious servant to the Svärtad Orm, a captain of this magnificent organization, and a person that will ensure the birth of a new age."

_WHAP!_

In a split second, her right hand brought itself down across the king's face. The blow itself was strong enough to force the victim to the ground at high speeds, but it also created a noticeable swelling across his right cheek. The queen screamed at this sight, but the full extent of her noise was suppressed by the gag around her mouth. As the king attempted to regain his composure, a foot suddenly slammed into his chest, effectively crushing him into the ground. Staring upwards, he noticed that the leader was preventing him from standing up. With a murderous glint in her eyes, she whispered her next sentence in a very demented tone:

"You may call me… Agnetha."

* * *

As the sun plummeted into the horizon, Mario and the remainder of his party, alongside Mallow, noticed an increasing darkness overtaking the area. With each passing minute, shades of white decayed into shades of gray, and all other colors seemed to fade away, being replaced by darker incarnations of themselves. Corrupted beauty presented itself to the fighters; it was a mere offshoot of the daytime imagery, similar to the black rose being a darkened variant of its red counterpart. But even so, the weather was subsiding into a new state of peace, with the clouds departing from the skies to reveal a gaze-worthy sunset originating from the west. The sky was painted with a multitude of colors, including sky blue, orange, pink, and pale turquoise. To a sightseer, it was as if though it was a mural created by a talented artist. Light and dark contrasted sharply with each other in this environment, creating a scene unlike any other, but this was left unnoticed by Mario's party, for its members were focused on more important matters…

"Hey guys," Bowser grunted, breaking the silence, "You know what I've learned from that Lillian girl about those robed freaks?"

"What is it?" Yoshi squeaked, curious for the answer.

"They're actually under the effects of a magical spell known as Återuppliva; it's what gives 'em their regenerative powers as well as their enhanced strength. The only methods of killing them are burning and dismemberment."

"I knew-a there was something unusual about the Lords," Luigi sighed, scratching the back of his head in the process. "So, that-a means, without any power-ups or weapons, and not counting Mallow, only three of us here are-a capable of permanently destroying those guys: you, me, and-a Mario. You have your-a claws and fire breath, while we can use-a fireballs to fry them. I'm not-a sure how the rest of us here are-a going to help out…"

"I have a coconut gun," DK interjected. "Unfortunately, I do not have it with me at the moment; it's back at the Smash Mansion. For now, I'll have to tap into my raw strength to defeat those Lords."

"I can let-a Wario use the Fire Flower that's-a stored in one of my pockets," Mario added. While he was speaking, his left hand squirmed its way into one of his pockets in order to yank the widely-known item out. His fingers, unusually, fidgeted inside the tight space for a few seconds before they obtained a firm grip on the desired object. Mario then tossed it towards the yellow-clad man as a way of lending a hand.

"I can use my lightning-based powers to fry them," Mallow uttered.

"What about Yoshi, bro?" Luigi mumbled. "By himself-a, he has no way of-a burning or dismembering the Lords, so what-a should we do with him?"

Mario remained silent for a few seconds, slowly traveling down Memory Lane to remember the possible ways that Yoshi could utilize fire; to his understanding, the dinosaur had no means of literally dismembering opponents. He could transform into his Super Dragon form, but that required a Smash Ball and the group was lacking one altogether. Power Flowers could also work, but they had mysteriously disappeared in the aftermath of the second castle incident. In fact, Mario was unable to figure out the reason why despite a long search around the castle area a few years back.

What about red watermelons? They were able to generate fire breath upon consumption and seemed to be the only viable source of fiery attacks for Yoshi, if only for a limited time. But, the winter was currently suppressing plant growth. With cold temperatures abound, the only way for the Smashers to earn a red watermelon was to locate a supply of some sort: a garden, perhaps? One such location that Mario could recall was the greenhouse in Peach's residence, where various foods of nature were almost constantly grown.

"We'll-a head down to Peach's castle," Mario responded. "There-a will be a couple of red watermelons in the greenhouse for Yoshi to use."

And then it suddenly slammed into him like a ton of bricks.

Had he somehow not reminded himself about his initial arrival into Toad Town, this event would not be happening right now.

The revelation in particular was about the town itself; the carnage from hours before was still present and would not be departing anytime soon. Given his below-average courage, Mario believed, Mallow would literally descend into a state of shock if his eyes stared at the bloody mess for even one second. Suddenly consumed with a moderate internal panic that was invading his body like a parasite, Mario decided to warn the prince about the gruesome scenery up ahead. It was better to reveal everything now than to completely surprise him in a horrific manner.

"What's wrong, Mario?" Mallow asked, quickly noticing a slight expression of worry on the plumber's face.

"Mallow… There is-a something that I must inform you about," Mario lowered his arms slightly while staring at the direction from where the group originated from, harboring a feeling of sharp uneasiness. "Toad Town has-a recently been the site of a massacre spearheaded by the Orm's Lords; there's-a going to be a lot of blood there, so try not to stare at the mess for-a too long."

"O-okay," Mallow mumbled. Despite his best efforts, Mallow failed to fight off a blood-freezing fear in his body. The mentioning of the words "blood" and "massacre" seemed to impact him greatly, more so than any other member in the group, for he had been mostly secluded within a very peaceful world; outside of the Smithy Gang incident, never had he been exposed to any real degree of actual violence. He wished to believe that Mario was merely bluffing, but the hideous truth ultimately prevailed over the desirable lie, for it was very unusual for the plumber to lie in nearly all situations. The prince was soon left with no choice to but to obey Mario's order.

"Let's-a return to Toad Town," Luigi puffed. While the group slowly trudged its way back to the beaten settlement, the sun was still strolling past the sky's boundaries. By this point, it was completely submerged beneath the visible view and its dimming light brought forward the disappearance of the sky's previous coloration, with the mixture giving way to a solid dark blue. Though the Smashers were oblivious to this mystical yet natural event, the red rose was being swallowed by darkness to morph into its blackened counterpart. Additionally, the moon's surface now radiated with enough energy to cast a faint glimmer of light upon the snow-covered terrain of the Mushroom World, perhaps to the point of distancing the snow from the rest of the forest. No other light presented itself, except for one…

No more than approximately fifteen meters away, a star-like creature was concealed within the densely-populated trees. Its yellow-tinted body shape best resembled a tear drop, with short, stubby limbs to accompany it. Black, beady eyes were glued onto the front of its body, bringing about a stark contrast in colors. As an additional feature, a soft, magical glow surrounded its entire body. Maybe it had something to do with it being a celestial creature, perhaps? Regardless, it was helpful in guiding the creature through the forest while keeping tabs on the Smashers. Gently floating within the trees, it had overheard a very small fragment of the conversation. Said fragment, however, happened to contain very important information.

"A massacre…?" it squeaked, chilled to the bone. "In Toad Town…? Oh my, I need to inform Mama about this."

In a matter of seconds, the star creature soared into the sky, planning its return to a certain sanctuary in the stars…

* * *

Back at the Smash Mansion, Lillian was within the confines of the living room, now by herself due to the absence of Smashers. Master Hand was inside his office; it was possibly because he had nothing better to do, besides waiting for the Smashers to return. Once again, the dark atmosphere of the night was rooting itself into the mansion's architecture, with low lighting despite improvements from last time, cold winds that overwhelmed the mansion's air conditioning system, and silence that bordered on the lines of absolute. Also returning was a chill, that single, freezing chill that could render spines frozen in an instant. Admittedly, it seemed to be more intense on this occasion, and having Master Hand around did very little to comfort her. Why was that? Staring at the walls and ceiling, the mansion was now starting to remind her of a certain location that she would rather avoid, a seemingly curious comparison by far. Or maybe it was because of the Smashers' absence that was causing such discomfort…?

Her mind boggled with questions, she utilized her magic to conjure a diary, which was a unique instrument meant to store personal thoughts. The curiosities had to be removed from her mind, just so she could rest for the night. Although she lacked a pen, mystical magic permitted her to write on paper without one. With Lillian recalling everything that had occurred so far, a light escaped from her right hand to spray a few pages of the now-open diary. As this event unfolded, words were painted in a soft cursive style, very fitting for a clean, almost faultless diary; for a lack of a better description, the diary's whitish outer cover was forged from refined leather, with a glistering ruby on the center of the front. As for the pages themselves, they revealed absolutely no signs of dirtiness or deterioration, and no markings aside from words of previous entries appeared to be present. Minutes had passed before Lillian completed her newest entry in her native language, which, when translated, was written like this:

_Today is my first full day within the walls of the Smash Mansion, which is inhabited by the people who identify themselves as the Super Smash Brothers. They are a diverse group of fighters from equally diverse worlds, led by a giant hand who, quite appropriately, calls himself "Master Hand". So far, they have been treating me like a welcome guest, which I suppose is a beneficial thing, but I cannot shake off the feeling that this place is reminding of a certain location inside of my realm that I wish to forget. This is only noticeable at night, for the daylight dispels the feeling lurking inside my mind. It's most likely a coincidence that the mansion bears similarity to the place._

_As per Bowser's request, I am planning to research the topic of the cultists having an unusual color to their blood; a normal person would not be having a color like that to his or her life essence, so it must be some form of magic that's affecting the Lords. I also need to figure out about the spell that's allowing Agnetha Lindgren, who is most likely leading the Lords in the Mushroom Kingdom, and the other captains to revive repeatedly, as Återuppliva does not grant such a power. I can only hope that the Smash Brothers avoid getting slaughtered by them._

_As a side note, a new sort of uneasiness has recently sparked in light of the warriors' departure. To be honest, I am truly afraid of being alone, especially in darker areas. I just feel that something might sneak up on me and exploit my lack of preparedness; while this has always been a phobia of mine since childhood, it has recently worsened because of the Lords searching every realm for the Staff of Björn's pieces. Only Heaven knows when they will arrive… _

_I only have Master Hand to keep me company. He seems to be a friendly fellow, as he's doing everything in his power to make me feel safe, but I somehow doubt that it's going to benefit me in fighting off my fright. For now, I can only pray that everything will be alright._

Finishing up the entry, Lillian gently closed her diary and dispelled it with her magic. She slowly stood up, only to notice Master Hand floating into the room.

"May I help you with anything, Miss Åkerfeldt?" the giant hand asked. Similar to last night, his tone was of friendliness and acceptance, as he wished to let the maiden feel welcome inside the Smash Mansion.

"I'm alright for now," she responded.

"You know that there's food in the kitchen if you're hungry; we've got a very large supply available."

Lillian stretched her arms above her before replying, "No, thank you. I am not hungry."

"Alright then, if you need anything, just let me know."

* * *

Mario and his group were now approaching the boundaries of Toad Town; during this event, the forest was silently fading away, with urban infrastructure replacing it in the process. Another unexpected, and certainly unwanted, change was a scent that soured the otherwise clean air. At first, Bowser assumed that it was just Wario farting quietly, either by accident or for the purpose of annoying the others. His guess would be proven incorrect, on the contrary, when the smell not only lingered for long minutes but literally pierced the noses of all present, something that flatulence would almost never do. Staring down the road ahead, the group was revisited by a grotesque image of the slaughtered residents of Toad Town, with the bodies still their resting positions and the blood, while dried, still smeared over numerous locations. There was now an added bonus to the scenery: flies gathering around the bodies.

Wait. If flies were zipping through the air…

The bodies were _definitely_ decaying; even though the winter temperatures were of below-average heat, the environment was warm enough for decomposition to occur. No wonder the air was so rancid! Mallow barely choked back a scream as his eyes caught a glimpse of the carnage, while the smell was now so intense to where Luigi almost vomited. There was also something else different about the view, but the fighters were not aware of the difference until they traveled a few steps forward. As Mario stared down at the ground, he suddenly noticed a series of large, black puddles soaking into the soil.

"What-a is this stuff?" he whispered to himself. Equipping himself with a small branch lying on the ground, he stirred the puddle very slowly to help answer his question. The investigation would take an unusual turn, however, when he realized that it was having a great deal of difficulty trying to plow through the liquid. Upon pulling it out, Mario's stick had some of the substance glued to it like tar.

"That look gross," Yoshi squeaked.

"Do you-a believe that those puddles have something to-a do with the Lords?" Luigi asked Mario, curious as to why the aforementioned objects were even around in the first place.

"Maybe, but I can't-a tell for certain."

Bowser, upon hearing Mario's answer, quickly realized that he forgot to inform Mario of something important. It had something to do with Agnetha and her fellow captains, and it could surely safeguard the lives of everyone in this group…

"Hey, that reminds me," he grunted. "The lady you fought is still alive, Mario."

"Excuse me?" Mario's eyes widened as soon his ears caught the Koopa's mouth mentioning the captain.

"The captain you fought is still lurking in the Mushroom World. Lillian also warned us to stay away from her and the other captains because of their superior combat prowess."

That nearly shocked the plumber outright. How was Agnetha still alive even after Bowser had clearly incinerated her? "Is-a she under the effects of Återuppliva like-a the rest of the Lords?"

"I think it's safe to assume that she is. But here's the thing, pasta head; Lillian told me that she is able is capable of complete revival though unknown means. Now, I hope that answers your question."

Allowing the conversation to seeping into his mind, Mario was secretly shaken. If Agnetha was still alive, and if the comment about the captains possessing much greater strength was true, then he would have to be more careful. One misstep could potentially be fatal…

Continuing towards Star Hill, the Smashers and Mallow had to endure an uncomfortable trip through the bloodied streets, with Mallow forcing himself to avoid the sight of the bodies, the still-injured Mario attempting to keep his wounds clean in spite of his bandages, and all members shielding their noses. To worsen things, the moon's shine provided the bare minimum of light required to even notice the exact shape of the bodies so that they would not accidentally be stomped upon. Several meters into the hellish environment, the party finally entered Peach's castle, the only sanctuary remaining in the town.

Examining the main hall, Mallow noticed that there was some minor damage in certain areas, such as scratches on a door, but for the most part the overall room was still intact. Posh floors and walls draped the interior with a layer of beauty, accompanied by bright red carpets flowing to several of the doors. From the ceiling came forth a golden chandelier of sparkling beauty, consisting of numerous soft lights, various gems of value attached to numerous points throughout, and strings of gold connecting the outer rim to the center. The continuous realm of white was broken by red doors dotted on the bottom of the walls, including two pairs of automatic double doors at the front of the second floor, complete with a Star at their centers.

"This place is beautiful," Mallow slowly gasped, allowing the imagery to sink into his mind. "Peach must have hired some skilled architects to build this place."

Ignoring Mallow's comment, DK asked, "Mario, where is the greenhouse?"

"It's-a further to the back of the castle, near the gardens," Mario replied. "We should-a head there ASAP."

Wasting no time at all, Mario and his group darted towards a door positioned to the right of the stairway, leading into a long hallway of sorts. The hallway's floor was checkered with shades of black and white, a design that some might consider fancy. Contrasting with this aspect, though, was the ceiling and walls; they were instead crafted from plain bricks typically noticed at many suburban buildings, as well as a few abandoned structures in the Mushroom City area. The lights here were much dimmer than what the chandelier had provided, although they were still able to provide a moderate degree of visibility. While the Smashers were traveling down the path, a mild right turn presented itself to them several meters away, with a second corridor branching off to the left. This, in turn, was enough to form a three-way junction that connected different sections of the castle together. The group pressed on, only to realize that the left pathway was blocked by a heavy load of rubble consisting of shattered bricks and miscellaneous objects belonging to the castle's internal frame. With no feasible way of clearing the rubble quickly, Mario and his group strolled down the other trail to enter the gardens.

The gardens were, so to speak, isolated from the bloodshed that had gripped the rest of Toad Town; not only was there a lack of bloodstains, but the stench that besieged the air was entirely absent. That was not to say that it was unaffected in any way, for the winter had brought her breath down to degrade the land into a bare foundation without plants. No growth of fruits, vegetables, or flowers appeared to be in sight. Meanwhile, snow obscured the brown shade of the earth to diminish the amount of colors visible on the terrain, another glaring example of the winter strongly affecting the Mushroom King with her mystical might. The only thing that shattered the sheer plainness of the area was a small building about twenty-five meters away; this combination of glass and metal was shaped into a rectangle with a half-circle on top of it, complete with a single door on the front. Approaching it, Mario was able to notice a small amount of frost glued to the windows, which failed to conceal what was resting inside: a batch of varying food items, including the one thing that he had been searching for.

"Red watermelons," he muttered. Yanking the door open, Mario rushed inside to pluck a member of the batch from its resting spot and deliver it to Yoshi, at the same time realizing that the greenhouse certainly had bred an environment warmer than the outside world.

_The sun did a good job at keeping these plants warm,_ he believed. Outside the greenhouse, Yoshi's lips began to soak in saliva at the sight of a red watermelon. As soon as Mario, who was slowly trudging through the garden due to the fruit's high weight value, entered close ranges, Yoshi extended his tongue out just to swallow the fruit whole.

"Whoa, Yoshi," Bowser commented, slightly confused at what Yoshi had done. "You could have at least taken the time to chew on that freakin' thing."

Yoshi ignored the Koopa's comment and let the juicy food item slide down his esophagus, with a slight fiery feeling in his mouth not too long after. Before the others could even register what was about to happen next, a grand burst of blue-white flames soared out of the dinosaur's mouth, melting a nearby patch of snow in the process. Some of the Smashers bounced away, startled by the sudden demonstration of the red watermelon's power. In fact, DK was even able to sum up his reaction in one sentence:

"OK, now _that_ was super scary."

"You-a should be able to-a defeat the Lords now, Yoshi," Mario spoke up. "The watermelon's effects won't-a last forever, but it's-a better than nothing."

"Yoshi understand you," the dinosaur replied.

"Now let's-a go kick some Lord ass!" Wario puffed. The group soon exited the castle's perimeter via a gate integrated into the fence, thus resuming the journey to Star Hill. Heading to a trail east of the castle, another change of scenery began to unravel and it was, needless to say, quite radical. Replacing the bloodied, beaten remains of a town was a serene forest with a long trail leading to a distant structure ahead; both sides of the trail were decorated with trees that delivered a sense of tranquility to the area, while the flowers embedded into the ground functioned a lot like lovely furniture decorating an otherwise plain room. Additionally, the dirt here, while mostly obscured by snow, was somehow modified by a mysterious force, for its violet hue was completely unheard of in all other regions of the Mushroom World. At least that was what the group believed. But the one feature that really stood out from the others was the presence of falling stars, rapidly descending from the heavens above to harmlessly pelt the ground while also adding on the absolute beauty of the path.

"This is unreal," DK muttered. "I've never seen anything like this…"

"You have not-a seen this place before, DK?" Luigi asked.

"Nope, not at all."

"I have to-a agree with the ape here," Wario added. "This-a area actually is very interesting. Maybe there's-a something precious around here."

"There is-a one precious thing here: the conduit of-a wishes," Mario interjected. As the group proceeded with the journey, the sky seemed to glow with an ethereal light that brightened the stars scattered throughout the vast regions of space itself. Shades of blue and purple tinted the landscape, providing a rather otherworldly feel that was, some might say, a sight to behold. Revisited by the magical scenery, Mario was reminded that this place was an oasis in a desert, with the desert being most of the outside world. To be more precise, it was an area, no, a sanctuary where peaceful wishes were granted by seven powerful beings known as the Star Spirits. Isolated from the turmoil of most other regions…

The environment would change yet again, this time presenting a massive summit to the eyes of all present. It was mighty and tall, ancient and holy, draped with a shower of stars, and forged out of pure beauty. A trail wrapped itself around the walls as a means of reaching the top, with the top being flat instead of pointed or rounded. This grand sight not offered beauty, but hope as well.

"Alright," Mario announced. "Let's-a get up there and rescue Mallow's parents."

On cue, Mario led his group to the start of the summit's trails. The way up was simple, but it was also fairly long as a result of the summit's height. Additionally, the light in the sky was looming closer with the increasing altitude; this caused the adventurers to predictably redirect their attention to the scenery over their heads. Some of them, like DK and Yoshi, were in awe as their eyes absorbed the images that they were presented with. A few others, like Wario and Bowser, quickly disregarded such images. Regardless of reaction, all would come to agree on thing; they would seldom be witnessing an environment like this one ever again.

"Wait, did you-a hear something?" Mario's comment suddenly interrupted the scene examination; all eyes were now staring at him, as if he was on to something.

"What?" Wario spat in a dumbfounded manner, "I don't-a hear anything."

"He's right," DK added. "There's nothing around here."

"Huh," was the red-clad plumber's reply. "I could-a have sworn I heard something."

Ignoring the source of the possible sound, the fighters and Mallow continued with their stroll up the summit. Star Hill was quiet for the most part, so there had to have been something that forced Mario to react the way he did a few seconds ago. But, what…

"Hold on," Mario gasped. "I-a hear it again!"

"Mario," Wario grunted. "Are you-a going crazy or wha-"

"No," Bowser interrupted. "I actually heard the noise as well."

And he was right, for whatever Mario had heard earlier was now louder, so that the others could also hear it slightly. Stepping forward a few times, all of them soon recognized the noise, or rather, noises as a set of voices engaged in a conversation. One voice's tone was deep, but certainly frightened; it was most likely a man scared out of his mind. A second one was soft and feminine, yet with a taunting, villainous vibe. While the others could not understand to whom the voices belonged, Mario and Mallow were quick guessers. To clarify, the two were able to properly connect them to their owners.

"Is that… my father?!" Mallow whispered out of fright.

"Oh, great," Mario slowly growled out of frustration. "Agnetha's here too."

"Who?" Mallow's confused tone of voice was an appropriate reaction to Mario's comment, for he was completely left in the dark about the vile swordswoman herself.

"Agnetha Lindgren is a captain of-a the Orm's Lords, and she's-a also the lady that almost killed me."

"So is that why you have all those bandages on you?" For the first time since the initial meeting, Mallow glanced at the blood-soaked pieces of cloth that were wrapped around the plumber's injuries. The unpleasant sight triggered a cringing reaction, but Mallow managed to restrain himself before he was overwhelmed.

"You're-a right."

"Bro," Luigi mumbled, "We should-a head up there and take out the Lords."

"Not yet. Agnetha's around-a there, and if what-a Bowser told me is correct, then we should-a lay low until she leaves."

"Mario, we can all-a fight her together once we dispose of her subordinates, if-a she has any, that is. She-a may have been difficult to face by yourself, but if-a we combine our strength, then she won't-a be as challenging as before."

Mario halted the conversation for a moment to absorb Luigi's idea. Maybe this could work; maybe they could indeed overwhelm her with numbers on their side. A one-on-one battle, as Mario had experienced, was a straight-up terrible plan of action, but a seven-on-one could just be the proper alternative. But it was not perfect in any way, for there was a chance that Agnetha could overpower them all with her deadly physical and magical might. If that happened, then it would certainly mean defeat.

"I am not-a sure if this plan is-a going to work, Luigi. It seems-a awfully risky, what with Agnetha being powerful and all, but if-a no one else here has a good idea, then we'll-a stick to your plan."

A silence befell upon the group, for its members, excluding Mario, were desperately trying to compose another plan as a counter to Luigi's. How long the process lasted was a factor left ignored, but the end result was an inability to devise a better plan.

"Okay," Mario sighed. "We'll-a go by your plan."

* * *

On the top of Star Hill, Agnetha, now frustrated with King Nimbus's failure to reveal the location of the staff piece, was ready to delve into extreme measures to extract all the information she required to complete her mission. With lightning-fast reflexes, she hoisted her blade out of its sheath and pointed it directly at her would-be victim's throat. The king's mind was quickly filling up with one word:

_Scream… Scream… Scream…!_

He could not force himself to do so. His body was hopelessly paralyzed by an emotion that none would ever feel comfortable experiencing.

Its name was Fear.

"I'm going to ask you this one last time," Agnetha sneered. "Where is the staff piece? If you hold back again, I will kill you and your queen right on this spot. Then, I will have my group annihilate your entire kingdom."

"Please," the king begged. "I do not have the answers for you. Just leave me and my kingdom alone…"

The plea produced the opposite effect, contrary to how he believed the redhead would react. Unable to deal with him any longer, Agnetha, speaking in a foreign language, ordered one subordinate to dispose of the queen, while she herself was preparing to ram her sword into the king's chest. Meanwhile, both victims were outright terrified, with hearts racing, hands shaking, and cold sweat causing their bodies to become chilled. There was nothing that they could do now, except wait for their deaths. Realizing this grim fact, and with no hope left, King Nimbus slowly closed his eyes. His queen quickly followed suit.

_CR-BOOM!_

But their deaths never came to fruition. A loud explosion suddenly tore through the air, accompanied by the captain shouting in pain. When the king allowed his sense of sight to resume, he was shocked to notice several burns on the captain's hands. On top of that, her sword was now lying several meters away from her, thus interrupting her intended plan of bloody murder. Staring to the left, his chance of being saved presented itself in the form of seven warriors, one of them being his own son.

"We'll-a have none of that around here," Mario, that courageous plumber in red, spat. The king and queen allowed joy to sink into their hearts, for they were now being rescued from the clutches of the enemy. Agnetha, on the other hand, allowed a murderous anger to crawl into her mind, furious that her adversaries were now here to place a dent into her plans. Shedding blood onto the soil was the only thing that now occupied her mind.

"You little wretch!" she hissed. "The execution would have been perfect if you had not ruined the moment! Thankfully, I will not have to deal with you any longer…"

"Oh, come on now," DK puffed, raising his arms into the air. "Did you really believe that we were gonna hang back after we got word of you kidnapping Mallow's parents?"

"You mean this little boy here?" Agnetha pointed directly at Mallow, forcing the young prince to shuffle backwards in surprise. Upon noticing his fear, her green eyes were filled with a dark, intimidating vibe that screamed twisted glee; this was paired up with a menacing smile that crawled across her face. "Maybe he can join his parents in death…"

"Oh, no you don't," Bowser retaliated, grinding his claws together. "As long as we're around, there's no way that you will get away with your plans! So, why don't you save us the trouble and give up now, freaks? If you do, then I might show some mercy to you guys."

"I'm sorry, but that cannot happen. Acts of cowardice would be a severe disgrace to the all-mighty serpent." Her sadistic smile quickly morphed into a furious frown. "Now, you may have defeated us last time, but this will be the battle where you die at our hands."

"Enough talk," Wario grunted, "Let's-a fight already!" All of the Smashers, along with Mallow, revealed their battle stances within a quarter of a second, with faces of determination. Performing a left-to-right sweep of the hilltop, Mario was soon shocked when it was revealed that there were more than a hundred Lords in Agnetha's group, a drastic increase in size compared to what she was accompanied with previously.

"…with pleasure." Agnetha's words forced all of the Lords to prepare for the incoming battle, as signified by ominous glows from each member's body. Meanwhile, the captain's lost blade was retrieved via the mystical powers of telekinesis. Once that event came to pass, Agnetha adopted a sharp fighting stance with her blade pointing up.

"Let's-a go!" Luigi yelled as he crouched down to the floor, with his arms bent and close to his sides. Before any of the Lords were even granted the chance to evade, the green-clad plumber suddenly erupted like a rocket and launched himself at two of them. The result was a scene of two enemies set on fire, with heavy burns and large flames to boot. One member tossed a knife at Bowser, which the Koopa did not notice until it was too late. Thankfully, however, the stabbing weapon only buried itself into his left arm to cause minimal damage. After it was yanked out, Bowser lunged forward to decapitate three members simultaneously with claws. The headless bodies were almost immediately transformed into geysers of black blood, showering a small portion of the battlefield like rain before toppling over a few seconds later. DK, utilizing nothing but pure strength, twirled his left arm several times to prepare the Giant Punch, but the number of rotations on this instance was much greater than normal, leading to a significant increase in power; this was soon realized by all when the resulting blow completely beheaded a cultist.

In the center of the battlefield, Mario and Agnetha were now engaged in their second battle so far. Quickly equipping the Courage Shell, which had been tossed to him by Bowser a few seconds before, Mario prepared to launch a blazing strike as the evil swordswoman charged at him. His gamble paid off, as he successfully hammered her skull with added fire damage. Recoiling from the blow, Agnetha grunted in pain but regained her composure before Mario could attack her any further. A swing of her sword was meant to slice one of his legs off, but the impact itself only produced a small cut instead.

"What is this?" she gasped, unaware that Mario was currently under the effects of his Courage Shell.

"It's-a nothing much," her opponent answered. "Just a little pick-me-up that I-a have decided to use."

Wario, now strengthened by his Fire Flower, was in the process of flinging fireballs at random directions; during this time, some of them roasted several of the Lords to a crisp, while others were merely struck the ground and vanished. He was assisted by Luigi, who was scorching through the dark army with his own set of fiery orbs. Intense fire and loud screams decorated the battlefield, as the number of casualties in the Lords' ranks spiraled ever higher. While the duo continued to push forward, an enemy from behind zapped Wario repeatedly to inflict electrical damage. To worsen things, said enemy was able to dodge Luigi's strikes as soon he noticed the plumber attempting to assist the overweight man in yellow and white. Luigi then attempted to stomp on the aggressor's head, but two more opponents dragged him away with inhuman strength to prevent this.

"Get your hands-a off me," he growled. Allowing his battle instincts to kick in, Luigi ignited his fists to shatter his opponents' combined grip, following it up with explosive jabs that burned his opponents alive.

"That's-a what you deserve for killing all those poor people at-a Toad Town." The plumber then rushed off to exterminate more foes. Nearby, Mallow and Yoshi were together as one team, standing side-by-side. Surrounded by vicious foes, they were ready to engage in a bloody skirmish.

"Mallow," Yoshi squeaked, "Either burn Lords or slice them!"

"Got it," was the prince's response. After hoisting his hands in the sky and then swinging them down just as quickly, a guided lightning bolt soared down to fry a handful of foes. Charred robes and sizzling skin formed the appropriate aftermath for such a terrifying monster of an attack. Not too far away, Yoshi's blue-white flames were raining hell on the villains. With every spray, another set of threats was eliminated. Things seemed to be progressing smoothly, the dinosaur believed.

At least, that was what he believed before an adversary launched a large block of ice into his mouth. A light-headed sensation rooted itself in his body immediately, with his airflow being restricted in perhaps the most uncomfortable of manners. In fact, his only method of breathing for the moment was by forcing the air through his nose. Struck by a bout of panic, Yoshi struggled to yank the block out of his mouth, but the very low friction of the ice prevented him from performing such an action.

Wait, he could utilize his fire breath to melt the ice, right? Then, all this panicking was simply just him acting silly for no apparent reason…

Rekindling the fire within, Yoshi quickly melted the block before it was able to suffocate him right off the bat. He even benefited from this by receiving a moderately small amount of water to drink to quench his growing thirst. With his recovery completed, Yoshi continued to roast more of his foes, with Mallow assisting him via the Shocker, a lethal, thunder-based attack.

Bowser continued with his spite-fueled rampage, literally eviscerating and frying numerous foes with his claws and fire breath, respectively. Through the chaos, the environment was being painted with a special color called death, with the Koopa King as the artist behind it all. A disjointed range in most of his attacks had prevented opponents from closing in on him. Those that were able to approach him were brutally sliced apart by the claws, those long, pointed claws that provoked fear in the hearts of many. He was not, so to speak, invincible, for a magically-conjured net, complete with iron spheres at the corners, was suddenly about to nail him into the ground. By the time Bowser realized this, his burly form was instantly sandwiched between the snowy, stone-forged ground and the excruciatingly heavy net of segmented steel. Such an event injected pain into his nerves, along with a boiling rage into his mind.

"Oh, you little sons of bitches," he sneered. "Once I break free, I'm gonna send you screaming back to Hell."

Mario and Agnetha were still in a frantic struggle, with each warrior seeking the other's defeat. The plumber's fireballs soared at the captain, but nearly all of them were ripped to barely smoldering shreds. Only one successfully burned her, but even that was not enough to cause any real damage thanks to her highly advanced healing prowess. Upon witnessing this event, Mario was slightly stunned.

_She must be using a more advanced form of Återuppliva,_ he believed. _A normal unit cannot recover from burns._

"Nice try, plumber," she mocked. "That will not work against me."

"I-a noticed," Mario responded. "But maybe I'm just-a doing it for the purpose of-a aggravating you." Dodging a sword strike, he leaped into the air with one fist extended, sweeping up Agnetha in the process. It was a showcasing of one of his signature moves, the Super Jump Punch. Replacing the typical shower of coins, however, was a stream of fire that singed the robes of the swordswoman in addition to inflicting significant burns.

Extinguishing the fire, Agnetha spat, "You're a better opponent than you seem, but that will not save you from your inevitable death."

Near the center of Star Hill, Mallow was in the process of escorting his parents out of the field in order to ensure their safety. Having untied the rope and gag around his mother's body, he was close to leaving the hilltop when a small group suddenly blocked his intended path, ready to kill. Of course, the enemies were not much of a problem thanks to his ability to crush them with a magically-conjured snowman. As the royal family passed by, a black substance could be seen seeping underneath the giant of ice. Hiding behind one of the walls, a scene of temporary rejoicing sparked amongst the family members, isolated from the ongoing carnage.

"Mallow!" Queen Nimbus cried, with tears of joy streaming down her cheeks. "Oh, my precious Mallow, I thought we would never see each other again…"

Hugging his mother as a sign of affection, Mallow replied, "It's going to be all right, mama. This will all be over soon."

King Nimbus, face filled with overwhelming joy, lightly patted his son on the back as a way of congratulating him. "Son, you have once again proven to us that you are capable overcoming your doubts to perform great things for the benefit of the world. I can already notice the growth of your skills as future king and, to be honest, I am very proud of you."

A bright blushing expression rolled itself across Mallow's face, as a somewhat embarrassing response to his father's comment. "Thanks, but Mario and his group deserve some credit too; they've helped get to you guys. Speaking of which, I need to help them."

"Mallow-"

But the queen was cut off when the prince darted back into the battlefield. Worry was a dreaded poison slowly creeping into her mind, but an antidote presented itself in the form of the king's assuring comment:

"Don't worry, my dear. He'll take care of himself."

* * *

By this point, most of the Lords were exterminated. The vast majority of them were scorched, though dismembered bodies were not uncommon. Of the dismembered victims, about half of them were decapitated, though several more were left completely limbless. To add, one cultist was completely bisected at the waist by Bowser, resulting in a gory, intestine-based mess that caused most of the Smashers to turn away in disgust. Wario utilized his Wario Waft, which was now boosted with fire effects, to roast a small group of foes surrounding him. His victory would be short-lived, though, when Agnetha, realizing that he was easily tearing through her group with flames, fired a blast of ice to freeze him instantly. The mistress then redirected her attention to Mario, who was now supported by his brother.

"So, Mario," she hissed, "You have decided to rely on your clone to help you out. That's fine with me, because I'll enjoy toying with him as well."

That comment immediately sparked a boiling rage within Luigi; due to his lackluster popularity in comparison to Mario, he had been identified by a variety of nicknames: "King of Second Bananas", "Eternal Understudy", "Mister Green Mario Brother Guy", and vice versa. But none had offended him more than that wretched word, as both Mario and Agentha were quick to notice. Contrary to the latter's beliefs, Luigi was far from being classed as a mere clone of his older brother, with differing powers, uniqueness in his personality, and even a series of solo adventures under his belt. Face red, fists clenched, and voice growling, it was made soon quite clear that the lean, green machine was determined to prove the captain wrong.

"Don't-a," he spat, "Ever call me a clone. Call me… Luigi."

The Mario Brothers were soon double-teaming Agnetha, combining fire and lightning to press on. Still, the captain vigorously fought back, supported by her powerful blade and magic. Luigi was eventually cut at several areas of his body to be affected by slight blood loss, while Mario was tossed backwards by a dark energy beam. Agnetha herself was burned in several areas, but her advanced regenerative powers kicked in to revitalize her body. During this time, a question rang throughout Mario's head:

_If she is under the effect of spells that grant her powerful healing and reviving abilities, then how can she be stopped?_

DK was busy burying enemies left and right via his mighty head-swinging move, all in a desperate attempt to set up for a killing blow. One Lord launched a moderately long blade at him; without any time to dodge, DK was impaled at the shoulder blade, with blood quickly seeping out of the fresh wound. The resulting injury was serious, in stark contrast with Bowser, for the blade was creeping dangerously close to one of his lungs. Nevertheless, DK pulled the object out, albeit slowly, and utilized it to slice both of his aggressor's arms off before incapacitating him. Dropping the weapon, he then strolled towards his collection of partially-buried opponents, searching for a way to finish them off.

"Now, what should I do with you guys…?" he mumbled, stroking his chin in the process and ignoring the ongoing bloodshed altogether. It was a matter of time before an idea clicked inside his head.

_CR-CR-CR-CR-CRACK!_

With hulking fists extended, DK spiraled around haphazardly, smacking his enemies in the head repeatedly to the point of creating blood fountains out of them. As an immediate result, blackness oozed across the stone floor to intensify the already gruesome imagery. Oddly enough, this was not enough to warrant his attention; instead, it was focused on the number of enemies present. A quick analysis revealed that there were now only twenty Lords left, including Agnetha.

"I guess this should be over soon," he sighed before rushing out to help Yoshi.

Bowser, still pinned down, was aggressively attempting to break free from the trap. Adrenaline tore through his body, rage embedded itself into his heart, and a low growl resonated from his mouth. He was not going to stand being trapped for any longer. Growl transformed into roar, with a display of superhuman strength unraveling as he proceeded to hoist the net up. Even so, the extreme weight was a very cruel entity to the Koopa King's body, with his arms visibly shaking as he was freeing himself at a sluggish pace.

"Must… get… out…!" Lactic acid was delivering a burning sensation to his entire body, clashing with the determination to escape. With no other alternative available, he would have to push himself one more time to succeed. "One more shove…"

_WHOOSH!_

In the blink of an eye, Bowser exploded with great force to finally conquer the net, hoisting its steel-forged form several meters away. Several yells shot throughout the hill like bullets from a gun, with his response being a simple smirk of satisfaction. As he strolled away, the now-pinned cultists were immediately incinerated by Yoshi's fire breath.

* * *

Agnetha Lindgren's heart was pumping furiously. With the remainder of her group obliterated by DK and Wario, the latter having thawed out because of his fire-based powers, she was now on her own.

Against seven persistent fighters who would never back down…

"Give it up, Lindgren," Mario puffed. "We've-a got you surrounded."

Agnetha's only response was a demented sort of laughter that would have frightened any lesser person to death, followed by yet another sneering comment. "You must really be out of your mind if you believe that I am simply going to surrender to you maggots. Like I have stated before, acts of cowardice would be disgraceful to the Svärtad Orm. Instead, I will ask you this: will you join us or die?"

_Never succumb to the enemy_.

That was the rule that Mario had always followed throughout his career as the Mushroom Kingdom's leading savior, and he followed it like a religion, to where not even the most evil of villains could tempt him whatsoever. To him, Agnetha was no different from the other villains that had tried to corrupt him, such as the Shadow Queen from the Thousand-Year Door incident, and he would wholeheartedly resist her until he was dead. Or she was.

"I'd-a rather die than join you," he finally spat.

"Very well," Agnetha hissed. "I shall grant you your death wish!" The swordswoman prepared to freeze Wario again with her ice-based spell, but her overweight adversary dodged the shot with surprising efficiency. Rushing towards Bowser, she was unfazed by his fire breath and, with the giant Koopa unable to react in time, proceeded to impale him in the chest. The cold blade penetrated the spiky, green shell and gathered the drops of blood seeping out of the deep wound, and Bowser himself roared out of severe pain. As Agnetha prepared to slaughter him, she was abruptly stopped by a Star crushing her several times over. Between each slam, she noticed Mallow raising his right hand, only to swing it down shortly after. After noticing a grin on his face, her anger boiled over to the point where she fired an icy blast to freeze him. With plans on continuing her destructive behavior, she directed a lightning bolt at Luigi to fry him. What the heroes were not prepared to face, however, was that the bolt would rapidly spread to Mario and Wario after its initial impact. All three plumbers yelled in pain as the electricity tore through their bodies.

"Yoshi got to stop Agnetha!" Yoshi yelped, proceeding to smack the captain in the legs with his tail so that he could fry her. But, a change of events unexpectedly occurred.

_Sssssss…._

"Huh?" Yoshi was confused at this new scene. Fire was no longer spraying from his mouth, only smoke. Several attempts later, Yoshi finally realized one important aspect about red watermelons, as stated by Mario.

_The watermelon's effects won't-a last forever, but it's-a better than nothing._

Trying to grasp this new revelation, Yoshi leaped backwards to avoid Agnetha, only to be slashed across the chest by her sword. Sharp, white-hot pain was eating away at him, while a wet feeling oozed all the way down to his stomach. It was, for a lack of better words, an experience both miserable and terrifying.

"Are you hurt, little dinosaur?" Agnetha mocked. "Here, let me fix things for you." Yoshi was about to limp away, but his opponent was far too quick for him to handle. With deadly precision, the malevolent woman stabbed the unfortunate dinosaur in the side. Luigi and Mallow, who were in close proximity, grimaced at the sickening sight as they watched blood pouring out of the wound. But before Agnetha could kill the dinosaur, Mario quickly grabbed her from behind to perform a strong throw across the field. This event was only a mere setup for him to launch a giant fireball at her. A loud explosion cracked the sound barrier, and a nearby patch of ground was instantly ignited. Meanwhile, the others stared at the flaming mess nearby, hoping that the captain was defeated.

"I hope she's dead," Bowser coughed, squeezing his stab injury. "That way, I won't have to… get my claws dirty with her."

"I doubt it," Mario muttered. "But, I do hope that she's-a incapacitated for now."

_Whoosh..._

But he was dead wrong, for at that moment, Agnetha rose from the fire to confront the Smashers once more. No longer was her robe present, as the fire had taken its toll upon it; the clothing underneath consisted of a set of blackened leather boots, a violet knee-length skirt with leggings underneath, a dark gray shirt with elongated sleeves as well as a sapphire brooch on the chest area, and a red scarf around her neck that flowed with the wind. Now that her robe was reduced to ashes, Mario also noticed a slight glow from her reddish hair, which seemed to amplify her true beauty. The others, however, were not even in the mood to care.

"What the hell?" Wario shouted. "She's-a still alive?!"

"That's right, my friend," Agnetha spat. "Now, it is time for all of you to witness your own deaths."

"NO!" Bowser roared. Momentarily blocking out his pain, he lunged forward to slice the woman's head off. In a surprising twist of events, he was successful, only to realize that the body did not collapse to the ground. Stares of anticipation were all that the Smashers exhibited, as they were unsure as to what would happen next.

"Wait," Luigi squeaked, "Shouldn't her-a body be falling down by now?"

"Luigi, look…" DK gasped in shock. His pointer finger was directed at the severed head, which was now floating in the air to reattach itself to the still-standing body. Reactions to this rather disturbing event were mixed. Some, like Luigi, were left frozen with chilling horror. Others, like Bowser, were enraged by the fact that Agnetha was still alive after sustaining injuries that would be fatal to a normal person, even though they were clearly aware of her spell.

"What the…" Mario gasped.

"Hahaha!" Agnetha chuckled, mouth wide open. "Did you really believe that your desperate move would work? Now, here's my response: _Skugga Dimma!_"

_Whoosh..._

In a split second, a black mist zipped out of Agnetha's hands to disorient the fighters. Confusion reigned, with the ability to discern one thing from another lost. Some of the Smashers even stumbled while trying to wander out of the darkness, with no sight of the ground whatsoever. But this would be the least of their problems when a great deal of pain shot through each and every single one of them. As Mario stared down as his chest, pure horror stretched across his face as he noticed a group of long, sharp needles buried deep into his chest, with one dangerously close to his heart. That also meant that the effects of the Courage Shell were no longer present. When the mist faded away, it was also revealed to him that the others, not counting Mallow, had suffered the same fate. As Mario collapsed to the floor, Agnetha was laughing maniacally out of triumph.

"Oh, dear Mario," she teased. "When will you learn that you and your posse cannot defeat me? No manner what you throw at me, I will always remain standing. You may to try fight me, but I must inform you; your efforts will be fruitless in the end. Now, prepare to-"

_CRACK!_

An energy beam was fired at Agnetha's direction, but it was not from any of the fighters. Instead, it originated from the skies above, where the stars reigned. As Mario cocked his head upwards, a glowing sphere of light floated into the hilltop for the purpose of assisting the group. Wiping his eyes, Mario was presented with an image of a woman who boasted divine energy; she was draped with a turquoise-tinted dress, wore a pair of elegant high-heels, and possessed a silver-forged crown with precious gems on the sides. As a side note, a star-shaped brooch could be seen on the dress itself. For bodily properties, her height was significantly greater than most other well-known figures of the Mushroom Kingdom, with Bowser and DK being the only ones to surpass her in the category. Her hair was painted with the pure essence of blonde and was shaped into a style that obscured one of her eyes entirely. The eyes themselves shined with the color of the oceans. With all properties considered, Mario quickly recognized this person.

"Rosalina?" he croaked, weakened from his injuries. "What-a are you doing here?"

"I'll explain everything later," she whispered back, just before Agnetha could strike her with a hardened blade.

"Another one?" the swordswoman grunted. "This is really becoming tiresome indeed."

"And what would you like for me to do about it?" Rosalina twirled her wand before directing it at Agnetha, preparing to fight.

"I want you to die for me."

Agnetha conjured a lightning bolt to fry the celestial princess, but it was caught by a magical field conjured by the latter woman's wand. The next event that happened was not what the others were expecting; Rosalina swiftly redirected the bolt with unerring accuracy, causing a great deal of pain to her opponent. In fact, it came to the point where the captain was rendered immobile by the move, sparking curiosity and confusion in Mario's head.

_That's unusual_, he pondered_. Agnetha's suffering more from having her own attacks reflected back at her than from what we've been pumping out. I know I've heard about Link doing this to Ganon several times, but how's that possible? _Before he was able to delve any further into thought, Rosalina was pelting the now-paralyzed captain with a flurry of Star Bits, mysterious objects that inhabited the vast realm of space, only to follow it up with a very rare variant of a Star, appropriately known as a Grand Star. Under the princess's command, the galactic artifact launched itself into the enemy and, much to the utter surprise of the others, exploded with such force that it cleanly tossed her off the hillside, never to be noticed again. Mario, however, was not comforted by the captain's defeat like any other person would.

_She'll be back soon,_ he believed. _With all her spells, she will survive the blow for sure. _Slowly removing the needles from his chest due to sharp pain, Mario stood up to dispel his feelings of doubtfulness... and to thank the Luma guardian for her help.

"Thanks-a, Rosalina," he sighed. "You've-a really helped us out here."

"My pleasure," was her response. By this point, her sphere of light had vanished to reveal her form more clearly.

"So, what-a are you doing here?"

"A Luma was traveling down to the Mushroom World to visit Toad Town for recreational purposes, but as soon she overheard your conversation about a massacre in the area, she wanted me to observe what was going on. Using my observatory's telescope, I analyzed the town for a while, and it turned out that the citizens were indeed slaughtered by a hostile force. I also noticed your group venturing towards Star Hill at the time, but it was only when you arrived here did I notice your actual intentions; you were trying to rescue what appeared to be this young man's parents from the unidentified foes." Mid-sentence, she directed her pointer finger at the still-frozen Mallow and then towards his parents, who were now emerging from their hiding spot. "During the battle, the leading woman was starting to overpower you all, so I had to provide some help."

Mario, wiping the sweat off his forehead, shot a stare of relief at Rosalina, pleased at her decision to help the Smashers. "So, that's-a why you made your way over here in the first-a place," he muttered, before creating a fireball to release Mallow from his icy prison. Upon release, Mallow exhibited confusion, for he had not caught up with the recent events.

"What happened?" he mumbled, all while shivering from his prolonged exposure to ice.

"Battle's over," the plumber responded. "Now, I would-a like to introduce you to-a Rosalina; she's the guardian of the Lumas and-a owner of the Comet Observatory."

Stepping forth, Mallow proceeded with the greetings, albeit in a slow manner. "Hi, I'm Mallow, the prince of Nimbus Land. It's nice to meet you."

"Hello, Mallow," the princess spoke. As the words exited her mouth, she glanced at the cloud-born prince, intrigued by his appearance.

_A citizen of the clouds,_ she pondered. _I have heard of his kind before in ancient legends, but I had never believed that they actually existed until now. _Not too long after the thought passed through her mind, her eyes spotted the king and queen gathering around their only son, overwhelmed with relief that he was safe and sound. Meanwhile, the others compacted themselves into one decently-sized group, having noticed both the celestial princess and the joy surrounding Mallow's family in spite of the bloody, carnage-infested scenery. It was safe to state that, in the minds of the majority of people present, everything would eventually be corrected once the incident was over. After glancing at the royal family, Rosalina redirected her attention to Mario's group, noticing the various faces in the crowd; one of them in particular seemed out of place, unlikely to be working alongside Mario.

"Mario," she whispered, briefly staring at the hulking Koopa, "Why is Bowser in your group? Usually, the two of you are enemies, constantly battling each other over the Mushroom Kingdom."

"He's agreed to-a join us after I've reminded him that he will have-a no kingdom to conquer if the enemies win," the plumber responded, crossing his arms in the process. "I believe that-a should clear things up." Staring at the western sky, Mario's eyes were presented with an image of Bowser's castle. Even while further away, a vibe of darkness wrapped itself around the structure and the lands surrounding it were cursed with an atmosphere of evil. Still, he and his group would have to embark on a journey to that place, just to ensure the safety of the realms…

"Bro," Luigi called, "What-a should we do now?

His continuous gaze now broken, the older plumber replied with a weary tone. "We'll-a head back to Bowser's castle to reach the remains of-a Exor."

"Hopefully," DK added, "We'll find my cousin inside. I just hope he isn't captured, or worse yet… killed." Rotating his body towards Rosalina, he prepared himself to ask her a question that could produce a difference between victory and defeat. "Hey, do you want to join us on our quest to retrieve a segment of the Staff of Björn?"

"The Staff of Björn…" she muttered. "I've heard about that artifact before; legends state that a piece of it is hidden in the Mushroom World."

"Wait-a," Mario spat, flabbergasted at the comment, "You-a actually have some insight about the staff?"

"Of course; in fact, I have a book about it in my personal library. But to answer DK's question, I will indeed be joining you on your adventure." To Mario, Rosalina's face seemed to shine with confidence, unafraid of any threat that could cross her path.

"Alright," he muttered, "Let's-a-"

But he was suddenly halted by a strange feeling lurking inside his stomach. At first, he assumed that it was caused by something that he had eaten during breakfast time. While Kirby was not the type of puffball to insert something dangerous into his meals, the ingredients he utilized were, very rarely, the cause of volatile stomach reactions in a few Smashers. A few seconds later, however, the situation instantly took a turn for the worse. A sudden pain was now clawing at his own body, with each strike it delivered being more vicious than the last. In response, Mario clenched his chest tightly.

"Mario?" Mallow squeaked. "Are you okay?"

Oblivious to the prince's comment, Mario collapsed to his knees: head pulsing harshly, legs unable to support his weight, and heart beating irregularly. As he raised his head, he could notice the other Smashers suffering from the same condition. This only served to further throw his heart rate off-balance, for he was fearing what would happen next. His vision fading away, Mario stared down at the removed needles. And he stared long and hard at them, only to notice a dark green substance mixed in with his blood. Fear flared up as he realized what the substance was.

It was a poison.

"Mario, what's wrong?" Rosalina asked worriedly. But the plumber once more failed to respond, his ability to speak removed by the lethal substance harming his organs. A sudden coughing fit shot drops of blood onto the floor. Hearing became impaired. Pain gave way to numbness, which provided no comfort at all to the hero himself. No longer could he support himself; in a swift motion, he dropped to the floor entirely, not aware that the back of his head was soaking in a puddle of black blood. His eyes had the minimum amount of strength required to notice a series of star-shaped figures descending from the heavens above, but before he could recognize them or any of their now-distorted voices, his vision had dimmed to the point where he could not discern anything.

Within moments, his world had faded to black.

* * *

Diddy's eyes opened up for the first time since he was incapacitated; as his vision regained focus, he stared at the details of the room. The room that he was stuffed into was very barren, with a set of giant steel doors and an active light bulb being the only notable features. Moss-covered stone dominated the area, which seemed to add to the decrepit mood presenting itself to the small simian. Lifting himself off the floor, he tried to sprint for the door, but was stopped by something pulling on one of his wrists. A feeling of discomfort sparked when he found himself staring at a cuff attached to his left arm. The cuff itself was attached to a nearby wall via steel chain.

"This must be a prison of some sort," he muttered. "But… Who would want me in here in the first place?"

A low rumbling suddenly rocked the castle wall, bumping Diddy into the air for less than a second. Something had occurred inside the castle, but the exact details were a mystery for him. This event would not come to pass, however, when the rumbling resumed; this time, however, it was greater in magnitude but shorter in duration. Tension escalated inside Diddy's body, for something potentially dangerous was approaching his location. The only question was: what? Seconds passed, and the poundings continued before the door creaked open…

…and that was when his eyes widened with shock.

* * *

_No… Not here… Please, I don't wanna die in this place… Someone help me… Help...  
_

_-Luigi_

* * *

**Real cliffhangers abound.**

**A/N: **

**-Now, this story is on the border between the T and M ratings; however, it could come to the point where I may have to raise the story up to the M rating. Please, let me know if I have to take such an action. Also, progress may be slower because I have to deal with college in a couple of days.**

**-"Skugga Dimma" means "Shadow Fog".**


	6. Mario's Theatre: Part 4

Mario's Theatre (pt. 4): Into the Veil

* * *

**The heroes have been poisoned by Agnetha's needles. Let's just hope that they survive this ordeal so that they can retrieve the staff piece…**

**Also, I need to clarify a few things before I move on with this story; some of you may have noticed several changes with the first two chapters in regards to Marth's backstory. A good fellow by the username of ****Garben the Berserker**** pointed out the errors that I had unknowingly made and gave me the information needed to correctly follow the continuity of the **_**Fire Emblem**_** games (Marth's games, at least). I just want to avoid any sort of confusion I might have caused in making those edits, and I want to say this to Garben: thanks for correcting me, man (no joke).**

**The other changes I have been making recently are to improve the story structure and correct a few errors.**

**Let's get on with this. As always, you are free to R&amp;R.**

* * *

_The spirit of sin has tainted the essence of all from the very dawn of society…_

_Not even the most good-willed of mortals are, or have been, spared from the corrupting touch of temptation…_

_In everyday life, most of the errors caused by all are simply minor grievances…_

_Sometimes, however, certain sins can be severe enough to inflict long-lasting tragedy on a family, group, or even a whole society…_

_And the worst of sinners have no remorse for others around them…_

_Murder, arson, fraud, stealing, and kidnapping have been, and will always be, among other things, their weapons…_

_Preying on the innocent and the weak…_

_Placing an undesired layer of filth upon civilizations…_

_Paralyzing much-needed progress to a magnificent vision of a cleaner world…_

* * *

Was he dead?

Or, was he still clinging to life?

As he regained consciousness, the world around him seemed… dull and blurred, for a lack of better terms. Numbness was the only thing that he could feel, his sense of touch shielded from the rest of sensations: cold, heat, pain, and pressure. It was as if though he had been purged from his own body. For how long, he did not know. His ears were granted the bare of minimum of power required to distinguish anything. Whatever he was hearing now was muffled to a severe extent. A sound of unknown origins crawled its way into his eardrums, acting as a song that he had never heard of before. Long minutes dragged on before feelings of uncertainty and fear tore through his still-numbed skin. Maybe the noise was a sign of danger approaching, and if that was the case, then he would be absolutely helpless in a literal sense. Since he was currently paralyzed, fighting back would certainly be out of the question. In other words, there would be no option but death. But…

What if there was no threat? What if the noise was from something harmless, or possibly even helpful?

He was unable to decide on whether to remain still or flee, even when his condition was strictly confining him to the former choice. A few seconds drifted like a cold wind before the vital sense of hearing returned to him. The sound, no, _sounds_ in question were voices engaged in a conversation, but who the voices belonged to was an utter mystery to him. With the world around him still a sloppy canvas, he twisted his head in numerous directions to notice various, barely recognizable figures in the room that he was stuck in. All seven of them were shaped like stars, with their bodies floating in the air.

"How much longer will they have to live?" a voice rang out. Its tone, to his knowledge, was soft and feminine, almost motherly in character. Worry seemed to be present in the mindset of whoever spoke, with the pitch of each word abnormally high and fraught with shakiness.

"I am not sure…" another figure answered. Compared to the first speaker, the second exhibited a deep voice assisted by a great degree of both characteristic integrity and expansive knowledge. He sounded less worried about the ongoing situation, which could lead one to the assumption that he was holding his hopes high. That was not to say, however, that he was completely relaxed; the figure's voice was painted with a noticeable shade of tension.

"Well, we need to help them soon," a third voice echoed. A thick German accent was present, causing some of the words to be spoken in a rather distinct manner. There was no doubt that it was much like the Scandinavian variant that Lillian possessed, except a little sharper. Like the others, worry was gripping the speaker's mind, which manifested itself in an overall lower, darker tone of voice. "If they do not receive a cure in time, then they will certainly perish."

By now, the world around him, the observer, was beginning to form a clearer foundation. Staring to the left, then to the right, he soon realized that he was inside a temple of an ancient variety. Grand columns surrounded the outer boundaries of the room, with polished walls inserted between them to build up the room's firm foundation. The ceiling was decorated with a uncommon style; checkers, in two alternating shades of light blue, mixed in with glowing specks to unveil a beauty seldom witnessed by the common populace of the Mushroom World. A third detail of interest was a set of seven large, diamond-made pillars, which was where the star-shaped figures were floating over. There were glimmering lights from each one that appeared to illuminate the already bright room, and they penetrated the cloudiness dulling the viewer's vision. Struggling to twist his body around, he could also, for a few seconds, notice a sparkling water-like substance flowing underneath the floor before locking his eyes to the center of the room. There, the final property was revealed: a pedestal-containing platform only connected to the outer area by a staircase. This temple was such a beautiful place, in honest terms.

"Hey, Eldstar!" the German speaker shouted. "Mario's waking up!"

The noise startled Mario to the point where his eyes instantly snapped open, forcing his vision to clear itself up. Now in a more alert state, he quickly realized that the star-like figures seemed quite familiar…

"Thank the heavens," the first speaker, now known as Eldstar, sighed, "We thought you were gone for good, Mario." Eldstar was recognizable for being one of the seven Star Spirits that would constantly oversee the magical realm of Star Haven, a place where wishes were granted. In the seven-piece hierarchy, he was blessed with the role of being the leader, presiding over all others in authority. His elderly appearance, consisting of a yellowish body paired up with a gray moustache, seemed to complement his vast wisdom.

"E-Eldstar?" Mario coughed, "Is that-a you? I haven't-a seen you in a long time."

"Yes, it certainly has been long years since our last encounter. Now, what brings you back into the Mushroom World?"

Mario stopped himself just in time to realize that his party members were out of view. A quick left-to-right sweep of the area revealed nothing regarding them, not even a slight indicator. Slightly worried, he decided to ask Eldstar about their statuses; if they were dead…

"Eldstar, before I can-a answer that question, I-a must ask this: where are the others?"

"They are inside the inn. After Misstar and I did what we could to treat all of you, we reserved the inn for your group to stay in. The owner had extra mattresses available, but he stated that they were not enough to hold all seven of you. So, we had to transport you to this location."

"Wait-a," Mario hoisted his now partially-numb body up into a sitting position, only to notice that he was resting on a translucent platform a few meters away from the temple's center. "You were able to-a cure us of the poison inside our-a bodies?"

"No," Misstar answered. Misstar could be best described as a pink-colored Star with a golden ribbon on the top of her head, with a pure-hearted but strong spirit to accompany her physical features. "The poison was far too strong for even our curing abilities to handle. What we did merely halted its spread in addition to healing your battle injuries, so in a few hours, it will become malignant again. Also, we realized that your group was in possession of a Tasty Tonic, but there was only enough in the container to help one person, so we decided to use it on you. You will last longer than the others, but the poison will still eventually kill you."

_What kind of poison was Agnetha using…_ Mario pondered, letting Misstar's words sink into his mind. Eldstar's ability to cure poison was long known to Mario as a flawless solution; during the Star Rod incident years ago, whenever he was injected with a dangerous toxin, he would summon the elderly Star Spirit to cleanse his body systems completely. It did not matter who the poison-wielding enemy was or how strong the effects were. But with the recent turn of events, there was no need to deem it flawless anymore…

"So, that-a means…"

"Yup," Muskular replied. Muskular was recognizable by his sharp blue hue, along with a sailor's hat on the top of his head. According to Mario's accounts, he also possessed the tendency to work out in order to strengthen his physical form. "If you cannot find the cure, which we have no idea about, then you and your pals will die for sure."

Mario's blood seemed to freeze for a moment upon hearing those words. If the cure was unknown or, worse yet, non-existent, then how could his group even receive the benefit of surviving the adventure? The soured food of luck was leaving a bitter taste in his mouth upon realizing that he could perish and thus fail the mission at the most inconvenient of times. This was nothing like the matches at the Smash Mansion, where everything was just a simulation. The overall situation was very real and very dire, and he would have to act fast before it was too late…

"Let's get back to my question," Eldstar's voice freed the plumber from his frozen state. "Why have you returned to this world?"

"I'm-a searching for a piece of this-a artifact called the "Staff of Björn"," Mario muttered. "Have you-a heard of it?"

"The Staff of Björn… Yes, I do know of this artifact. It is the very thing that can defeat the Svärtad Orm."

"Wait-a, before I-a passed out from the poison, Rosalina claimed that-a she had some knowledge on the artifact. Is that-a true?"

"Yes; in fact, we were the ones who shared our knowledge with her via a book that we have written," Skolar interjected. Skolar was a violet-colored Star Spirit dedicated to the field of science, with intellectual skills that could only be rivaled by a few others. His characteristics were very distinct; he possessed a pair of glasses, a refined mustache, and a sharp German accent. "She visited us years ago when she got word of us researching this matter. At her request, we agreed to make a copy just for her so that she could learn more about the staff and its known history. As a little side note, the only other book in existence is in our possession for safety reasons."

"Speaking of-a safety matters, did you-a know that there is a group called the Orm's Lords? They are-a the guys that have-a been invading this world for the intent of-a reviving the Svärtad Orm."

"The Orm's Lords…" Kalmar muttered. The one and only attribute that distinguished the peace-loving Kalmar from a normal Star was his kempt mustache. "They want to revive that monster?"

"Correct-a; now, let me bring you all up to speed about what's-a going here."

* * *

The interior of a room inside an unknown structure had very dim lighting. The only thing that prevented it from being swallowed by complete darkness was a set of torches glued to all walls present. Moss accumulated in small but noticeable amounts near the bottom of the walls, which only served to fuel the visibly macabre atmosphere that loomed in the heavy air. Barren was the scenery; along with the torches, a single, octagon-shaped carpet and a stone-forged chair were all that decorated the room. The carpet, however, was heavily decorated with the following features: smoke-colored scratches that overwhelmed the edges, a black snake in the center, charcoal-colored tentacles emerging from the creature, and two red orbs at the horizontal ends. Such details clashed with the rest of the room.

A man was glued to the stone chair, with little bodily motion. His form was draped with a blackened robe that was commonly worn by the Orm's Lords, complete with the trademark insignia. However, his variant of the insignia was a bright gold color. This not only distanced him from the other members, but it also sharply contrasted with the rest of the uniform. Black trousers could be seen underneath his robe, with smoke-colored boots to accompany it. Other interesting details included the presence of gloves on his hands and an expressionless mask on his face, things that the common Lord lacked. Combined with everything else, his features were left completely obscured from the rest of the world, amplifying his mysterious and threatening aura.

"_I wonder how our search for the rest of the pieces is going…_" he whispered. "_The Holy Serpent cannot wait any longer for the moment of rebirth…_" Just before he could delve any further into thought, a cultist emerged from the rusted steel door that connected the room to the rest of the building.

"Mästare!" he puffed in a somewhat out-of-breath manner. "_Allow me to enter._"

"_Yes, what is it?_" The leader spoke his words with a hint of curiosity, interested in the news that the servant was about to deliver.

"_I have been able to find out about the ones who have been slaying our forces._"

So it was true. There were indeed opposing parties to the Orm's Lords, the very organization that would awaken the Svärtad Orm and establish a new world order. This would certainly ruin the plan set in motion. He was initially unsure about the existence of such forces, mainly due to the lack of reliable information from his loyal soldiers, but the servant's comment dispelled the traces of doubt that previously inhabited his mind. Still desiring to learn more, he asked:

"_Who are they?_"

"_The survivors of the attacks were able to relay information to our experts in realm-study,_" the servant answered."_After several hours of analysis, we were able to receive the answer to your question. It turns out that the attackers are from numerous realms, all of them being vastly different in character, but they unite in one central dimension known as the World of Trophies__. They are identified as the Super Smash Brothers, and they are under the orders of a strange being called the "Master Hand"._"

A fiery anger was now threatening to tear through the man's normally calm demeanor. Fists tightened up and shook. A low growl echoed throughout the room, just enough to intimidate the servant. How dared they, the Smash Brothers, interfere with the plan of the Orm's glorious resurrection? Now that he had the information needed to identify his foes, he would force them to feel the full wrath of the Lords. There would be no mercy now.

"_Tell the captains to make the elimination of the Smash Brothers a top priority,_" he slowly snarled. "_Do NOT let them reach the staff pieces first. Understand?_"

"_Yes, _Mästare."

With little hesitation, the servant strolled out of the room through the steel door, leaving the leader alone once more.

* * *

_Back at Star Haven…_

"So, that's why they are here in this world. Am I correct?" Klevar muttered. Klevar was, as suggested by his name, renowned for his clever personality as well as his passion for reading, with the latter fact appropriately represented by him always carrying a book in hand.

"Yes," Mario responded. While he was speaking, his reduced numbness now allowed him to stand up, albeit very clumsily. "And that's-a why I'm heading to Smithy's former residence to-a retrieve this world's piece before they do."

"Wait a minute, that place has been sealed off for years since Smithy's defeat! How are you going to go back inside?"

Remembering the method of entering the hellish realm, Mario was quick to respond. "I'll-a have to figure out a way of-a reopening the mouth of the sword, Exor. He was-a the reason why I ended up in the factory during the Smithy ordeal. Now, I must-a leave now to get my teammates and-a retrieve the piece."

Stepping off of the semi-opaque resting place, Mario slowly limped his way towards the center of the temple before descending down the flight of stairs. The loss of feeling in his legs complicated an otherwise effortless task, with near-instances of tripping on the way down. He could also feel a wave of lightheadedness overwhelm him, perhaps almost to the point of physical incapacitation.

_The poison really did a number on my body_, he told himself. But he was not more than a few meters away from the exit when a voice froze him in place.

"Mario," Mamar, the most optimistic of the Star Spirits with a bow on the top of her body, called out. The plumber immediately twisted around before the Star Spirit continued speaking. "Good luck on your adventure. We'll be rooting for you!"

More joyous and hopeful words had never been spoken.

That was the thought that entered Mario's mind upon hearing Mamar's comment. From his experience of receiving morale-boosting words from others, there always was a light at the end of a dark tunnel, no matter how bleak things were. This situation would be no different. Throwing out a satisfactory grin, he muttered:

"Thanks-a for your support, guys."

Stepping out of the temple, he was quickly faced with a pleasant scene, one that he had not set his sights on for many years. In front of and around him was an celestial soup formed from millions, if not billions, of stars, the magical beauty of the planet's moon, faint images of nebulae in the distance, and the predominately violet area that he was stuck to, complete with several small buildings. This was magnificent Star Haven, and it was a paradise filled with the energy of positive wishes. As he continued to stare at the vast scenery, his eyes caught sight of numerous star-like creatures. Unlike ordinary Stars, these beings were granted a complete face as well as the ability to communicate physically, with the latter trait shared by the Lumas. Additionally, according to Mario's personal memories during the Star Rod disaster, they would start their lives as Star Kids, younglings raised in the mostly-frozen Starborn Valley by a local Ninji tribe before they were ready to depart for this place. By overwhelming beauty piercing though the realm, Mario was nearly mesmerized. It was certainly possible, from his point of view, that he would return to this place to indulge himself in tranquility, to simply leave his worries behind. Of course, this benefit would be out of reach until the current incident was suppressed. Liberating himself from his trance-like state, he traveled to the inn to reunite with his party.

"I-a better get them up so that-a we can head to Smithy's place before the poison kills us all," he muttered to himself. A good number of steps later, he found himself standing in front of the inn's door. Gently pushing it open, he was quickly introduced to an image of his party members, sans Diddy, resting in a series of mattresses. Only one of them was on a bed frame. The sharing between the aforementioned mattresses was uneven; Bowser's great bulk, in particular, easily occupied the first spot entirely, while there was very little space left between Wario and DK, who were resting on the second spot. On the last spot, situated on the bed frame, Luigi and Yoshi were the ones given the greatest comfort for size reasons. As Mario stepped forward into the seemingly plain room, he failed to realize that Rosalina and Mallow were standing, or levitating in the star guardian's case, off to the left side of the room.

"Mario!" Mallow puffed with joy. "Oh, thank goodness it's you… I thought you were gonna die!"

"Well, I'm not-a exactly cured yet," the plumber responded, adjusting his cap slightly, "And-a neither are the others. We still-a need to find the cure for our-a condition, but we should-a be fine for now." He then glanced at his inactive group. "We need to-a wake these guys up so that we can-a continue with our-a journey."

Mario, alongside Mallow and Rosalina, then approached the resting Smashers with the intent of waking them up. After a few seconds of tapping and slight shaking, all of them, except for Wario, were in a sitting position and ready to stand up. Reactions to being dragged out of their sleep were mixed; most of them did not appear to exhibit any irritability in any way. In fact, they were quite confused as to their current location. When Luigi in particular asked Mario about this matter, the older brother had to quell the confusion by revealing where they were at. However, there was one member who responded differently…

"What the hell did you wake me up for, plumber boy?" Bowser snarled. "I was having a damn good dream about me finally having the Mushroom Kingdom in my grasp!"

"You might as-a well save that for later," Mario retorted bluntly. "I wouldn't-a become too sidetracked on-a conquering a kingdom if I were you."

Bowser was about to protest to Mario's comment, but his voice trailed off immediately. Going back to an earlier comment from DK during the group's time in the blood-soaked remains of Toad Town, it slowly dawned upon him that conquering a kingdom had been rendered an entirely unnecessary goal thanks to the ongoing incident. The thought had not lingered in his mind then, but it was certainly doing so now. As much as he desired to deny it, he realized that Mario, _the_ Mario who acted as his greatest enemy for as long as he could remember, was indeed correct. There was simply no time to get distracted by trivial interests, lest he weakened efforts to stop the Svärtad Orm, allowing his own territory to be dominated by the Orm's Lords. Conquest of a rival kingdom would have to wait until later…

"So, are we ready to leave?" Rosalina muttered, patiently waiting for the others.

"I just-a need to take care of-a one more thing," Mario replied, staring at Wario. "You may need to-a cover your noses for-a this one."

The others heeded his order and proceed to block their nostril passages with their hands. Mario then proceeded to lower his body into a crouching position, which, as the others soon noticed, was a recognizable precursor for a jump. In a heartbeat, he performed a leap that carried him about a meter into the air before gravity starting dragging him straight down…

_CRACK!_

…into Wario's flabby stomach.

_FFFFFRRRRRTTTTT!_

"OOOOOOWWWWW!" Wario screamed. Great pain ripped through his fattened body as the blow's effects reached absolute fruition; not too long after, he started to flail around on his mattress due to high amounts of pain and shock. As his voice resonated throughout the inn, so did the gas forcefully expelled from his bowels as a result of Mario landing on his mid-section. The rancid scent was merely a cut below being a sulfur dioxide imitation, lacking the compound's toxicity but not its extreme nose-irritating properties. Hands held noses tightly as the room's occupants tried to avoid sniffing the flatulence, although a few of them decided to exit the inn as an extra precaution. Following the leap, Mario quickly shielded his own nose from the intense gas. A greenish discoloring also plagued the room, altering the natural hues of everything present.

It was truly a nasty scene to behold.

"What the fuck was-a that for?!" Wario roared, with a snarl directed at Mario. Combining the furious facial expression with him clenching his stomach tightly, it was clear that he absolutely despised the method that his thinner, red-coated counterpart utilized to wake him up.

"Think of-a that as my way of-a giving you a wake-up call," Mario puffed nonchalantly. "But hey, you should-a be lucky that I didn't-a make you crap your pants this time around."

Mario's indifferent comment was but a catalyst for a barely noticeable fit of laughter from Bowser, who treated the words as something to chortle about. Though hard to spot, it was not left unnoticed; as soon his ears heard the insulting sound, Wario directed his menacing glare at the Koopa King, forcing the latter to control himself as a way of avoiding possible conflict with the former.

"Can we… uh… please go now?" Mallow coughed, clearly affected by Wario's pungent odor. "This gas is starting to make me sick…"

"Sure thing," was Mario's response. "By the way, do you-a still have that-a bus with you?"

"Yes… I have called it over here and now it's waiting for you guys at the exit…"

"Alright-a. Let's-a get to Smithy's residence." In just a matter of seconds, the heroes departed from the gas-infested hotel to leave the refuge of Star Haven.

* * *

_A few hours earlier…_

Diddy was slammed into a chair by the same assailant that incapacitated him earlier. Within seconds, several nearby figures, which he quickly recognized as a few Lords, tied him up with a long string of dry rope. The string felt like thin pieces of cardboard rubbing harshly against his body, enough to where he received uncomfortable rope burns. The squeezing sensation that followed was no better; if fact, being constricted was one of the last things that he would willingly go through. Once the action in the darkened room settled down, Diddy took the opportunity to analyze the new scenery. Stone walls were once again present, complete with moss evenly scattered throughout the perimeter, and a set of rusted doors resided at the far end of the room, just like in the prison cell. However, while this new area was overall not much different from the old, there were significant changes. Replacing the solitary light bulb were a series of wall-mounted candles that provided the bare minimum of violet-tinted light and a barely functioning chandelier. The room itself was shaped into a much larger cylindrical form; these properties reminded Diddy of a silo, an area used to store certain supplies. One more thing also stood out: a rusted device off to his left. This particular device resembled a casket, except that it was forged from iron, shaped into a man's body, and littered with extremely sharp spikes on the inside of the door.

An iron maiden.

Chilling fear instantly stirred up inside the young ape's mind. If he was set to be thrown into that hellish device of death…

"So," a distant, hissing voice snarled, "You thought you could sneak into this castle undetected? Did you honestly believe that? Well, you were in for a big surprise when we unleashed our newest creation on you."

"Who said that?" Diddy mumbled confusedly. He twisted his head left and right to locate the source of the voice, with no success on his side. Due to the low illumination of the chamber, it was difficult to figure out who was speaking a few seconds ago. A few seconds later, after Diddy had his head twisted in knots, he eventually realized that this task was essentially equivalent to searching for a specific strand of hair amongst a pile of other strands in a dark area. Meanwhile, approaching footsteps were heard.

"Confused, little one?" the voice echoed again, this time being closer to the cousin of DK and filled with more clarity. "Let me help you…"

Wait…

Now that the voice was clearer, it sounded awfully familiar. But who could it be…

"Remember me?" the voice whispered. Diddy suddenly felt his head being yanked upwards, only to witness the face of a person previously encountered on more than one occasion.

"You...!" the ape shrieked. "How could you be…!"

"Aw, you must be so surprised," the figure, now revealed as the unrobed Agnetha Lindgren, spat. "I am assuming that you have not heard of Återuppliva?"

"Återuppliva? What the heck is that supposed to be?"

Agnetha released her grip to flip her hair before continuing the conversation. "Think of this magic spell as… a boost to our life force. It allows us to survive from injuries that would normally be fatal, and gives us increased endurance. Now, does that answer your question, stupid primate?"

A part of Diddy's mind sought to lash out at the evil woman, with fury building up inside. How could she have any right to call him stupid based on his species? If anything, he was very knowledgeable on using his popguns correctly to the point of being a straight marksman with them, and he could fly his jetpack with no problem at all. In addition, he was also a musician of significant talent, being able to excel at guitar playing, as well as a proficient racer. Agnetha's claim was completely unjustified, with no evidence to support it. Maybe she was just teasing him for her sick, twisted pleasure.

However, another part of him decided to hold back. Resistance could get him injured or even killed right off the bat; besides the threat of Agnetha herself, there were guards stationed at the door and around the room's perimeter, the former feature being his only way of escaping this trap. Attentive people they were, they would surely eliminate or stun him if he even garnered the courage to flee. And not to be forgotten was the towering behemoth glued to the back of the area, the one thing that could fell smaller creatures instantly if given the chance. As such, fighting back was an inconvenient choice, especially when considering that none of his allies were around to assist him. As a final blow to his initial decision, an important question just entered his mind. During the battle at Toad Town, he noticed Bowser incinerating some Lords with his fire breath, and they did not survive. So why was Agnetha still alive and breathing but the other victims were not?

"Wait, I've noticed that fire can kill you guys, am I correct?" he pointed out.

"Well, you must be an observant one," she responded. "The usual "monkey see, monkey do", I am assuming? Yes, it is true that fire can nullify Återuppliva's effects, but I have a special variant that not only renders me immune to fire and dismemberment, but allows me to revive whenever I die. But, enough talk. We are going to make good use of you and another victim that we have captured earlier…"

As Agnetha finished speaking, she ordered the monstrous creature, still concealed within the shadows, to return to the prison for the purpose of retrieving the previously mentioned victim. What seemed like minutes soared by before the monster returned with a character in hand. Due to the dim lighting, Diddy strained his eyes as he attempted to receive a better view. In doing so, however, he was slapped in the face by an entity known as shock, with eyes widening and a gasp shooting from his oral cavity. The currently unconscious person in question was someone that he at least recognized; it was a younger Koopa that loosely resembled Bowser, but with less hair, a smaller size, an overall more juvenile appearance, and a now-damaged bib that had a pair of sharp teeth painted on it. As a secondary detail, the Koopa seemed older than before thanks to five, faded years, but not to a drastic extent.

It was none other than Bowser Junior. And, like Diddy, he was going to be a victim of the Lords if help failed to arrive…

"What are you going to do with us?" Diddy puffed, fearing the worst of fates that could occur to him.

"Oh, nothing much," Agnetha chortled. "It is just a little plan to… trap some visitors in this place if they try and come looking for you. Now, be a good boy and say good-night!"

Before Diddy was able to absorb Agnetha's words, the mistress unleashed a darkness-fueled punch aimed straight for his cranium. The ape instantly succumbed to the blow and blacked out.

* * *

Departing from breathtaking Star Haven, a newer, larger version of the Royal Bus was soaring across the clear, dawn-soaked skies to transport Mario and his crew to Bowser's palace. The winter wind was a spirit that smeared her chilling essence across the atmosphere, heralding the freezing sensation that coated all those present in the vehicle. Warmth was scarce in supply, forcing most of the adventurers to shake noticeably. Mario and Rosalina appeared to be unaffected, but even they could not help but internally admit that this environment was a harsh one compared to what they were adjusted to. By this point, the snow storm had faded away to reveal the Mushroom World underneath, that one beautiful world that Mario proclaimed to be his primary home. Staring down at the terrain, he was reminded of something noteworthy; yes, _very _noteworthy. Being confined to the Smash Mansion for so long had created a burning feeling of nostalgia within him, to the point where he simply desired to re-explore all the places he had previously sojourned to, from bustling Rogueport to the picturesque Beanbean Kingdom. After the darkness was repelled, he would definitely carry out his promise.

"_Mario…_"

It was Lillian herself, her echoing voice snapping Mario out of his trance.

"What's up-a, Lillian?" he muttered.

"_Are you all right?_" the maiden muttered. For some reason, her voice sounded gloomy, as if she was depressed. That was not normal, although Mario did not seem to notice it.

"I'm-a fine for now, though it-a will only be a matter of-a time before a poison from Agnetha kills most of my group."

"_Hold on, are you trying to tell me that you have been affected by Igel?_"

"What?" A dumbfounded Mario scratched his head after hearing the last word. What was Igel, anyway? And to believe that Återuppliva would be the only trick used by the Lords…

"_Röda Blodigel, or just "Igel" for short, is a special poison that is resistant or even outright immune to almost every known cure in all of the realms. It is fast-acting and can kill in a matter of minutes. The only known way of curing a person who has this toxin is by using a serum called Vit Hjärta._"

"Can you-a create the cure?" Mario's voice was painted with curiosity, as he was wondering if Lillian could help the poisoned group out.

"_I can, though it will take me some time. But, that is not the reason why I am contacting you._"

"What's-a your reason for calling us?"

"_Mario…_" The maiden was now allowing her voice to be truly consumed with sorrow. "_I have some terrible news for you, and it involves the one you love the most, Princess Peach. You may not like what you are about to hear._"

Praying for the best and expecting the worst, Mario remained silent to listen to the mysterious woman's incoming words. Meanwhile, the others continued to either rest in the vehicle or stare into the skies above. Wario in particular was stretched across two seats to help recover from the earlier condemning blow inflicted by Mario. He was still squeezing his stomach tightly and his face was already fixed to one of serious pain. Rosalina was allowing her mind to be seduced by the number of slowly fading stars in the celestial space above; staring at them, they reminded her of the Lumas, the very children that she swore to protect. None of the occupants, however, appeared to notice Mario's distraught mental state as Lillian informed him of the terrible news.

Several minutes passed and the skies were now filled with heavy smoke hissing from a volcanic valley below. Accompanying this change in scenery was the presence of Bowser's residence, still fearsome as ever and still standing strong. As the Royal Bus gradually approached the infamous structure of terror, most of the passengers prepared to disembark with adventurous looks on their faces.

"Hey, Mallow," Luigi mumbled, noticing that the prince was not standing up, "Are you-a going to come with us?"

The prince replied, "I'd love to stay with you guys for the rest of your journey, but I have to get back home soon. My parents are worried that I'm going to get killed by the Lords that you guys are talking about."

"Okay then. We'll-a see you soon."

The bus driver, a Lakitu, soon froze his vehicle in place next to the rooftops, as per a request from Mario. With the Smashers stepping into hostile territory, he wished to grant them a boost of confidence before it was too late. He muttered these simple yet effective words:

"Hey, good luck on your adventure."

"Thank you, sir," DK replied. Taking the comment into consideration, most the travelers felt a greater morale boost from within as they departed from the bus and watched it soar away. Mario, on the other hand, had no such beneficial change…

"You okay, Mario?" Yoshi squeaked, now spending some time on examining Mario's expression of shock. He noticed that the plumber was wide-eyed, breathing unsteadily, and slightly slack-jawed; such an expression was unusual for the normally stable hero, and only something of an extreme magnitude could force him into his current state. Yoshi's comment led the others to stare at the group leader as well, and they too realized that something was off.

"Is something wrong, Mario?" DK asked, patiently waiting for a response. But no answer presented itself to the ape. Then, without any warning, Mario suddenly bashed a nearby stone semi-wall with his left fist. In the aftermath of such a harsh blow, cracks were seen upon the stone's foundation. Shock gave way to unfettered anger, unsteady breathing to loud yells. The others stumbled backwards upon witnessing this violent outburst.

"Whoa, bro!" Luigi yelped, not used to witnessing his brother being this upset. "Calm-a down! What's-a the problem?"

"_I'M-A GOING TO KILL CAPTAIN FALCON!_" Mario roared. "I'll-a personally make him SUFFER for-a failing to keep Peach out of danger!"

"What-a are you so angry about?" Wario puffed, not realizing Mario's pain.

"That-a bastard of an F-Zero racer has deliberately put-a Peach in danger! He's-a condemned her to death!"

Rosalina froze for a moment as soon as she heard Falcon's name. A few months ago, she had received an invitation from Master Hand telling her to participate in an upcoming Smash Bros. tournament. As part of said invention, she was offered to attend a tour of the Smash Mansion, which she willingly accepted. The tour introduced her to a wide variety of characters, and one of those said characters was the valiant Captain Falcon. Learning some important aspects of his background and personality from other Smashers as well as Falcon himself, Rosalina depicted the mostly solitary bounty hunter as a brave man who would protect others from evil, even if it meant sacrificing his own life. Right now, because of his blind fury, Mario was not recognizing the fact that Falcon would never cause harm to an innocent person. At least not intentionally.

"Mario," she spoke up, "How can you be so sure that Falcon wanted to harm the princess? He might have accidentally slipped up…"

"And how can-a YOU be so sure that he didn't?!" Mario fired back, seeing nothing but red. "I don't-a care what anyone says; it's-a his fault! _It is-a all his fucking fault!_"

"All his fault? You are not taking into account certain factors that would be beyond his control. Think about it, Mario; what if he and Peach ended up in a situation that they were not prepared for? What if he was unable to protect her in any way? If that's the case, then would you say that it's the captain's fault then?"

But Mario was not convinced by the celestial mother's words. "Falcon should have known that-a Peach would be injured as soon as he left for-a Port Town. And to think that-a I actually trusted him with her!"

"I don't think that you're even listening to yourself, faucet boy," Bowser snapped. "If I know Falcon correctly-"

"SHUT UP!"

_WHAM!_

Mario quickly delivered a powerful left hook to Bowser's jaw, inflicting a bruise in the process, before separating himself from the others. As the Koopa King toppled over, the remaining Smashers could not help but stare at their frustrated leader out of fear. His great love for Peach and wild rage had made him into a savage tiger: teeth bared, eyes filled with an intense fire, ready to pounce on anyone who would dare venture too close to him. They were aware that he was clearly being irrational, but trying to talk him out of his anger would not help the situation, as demonstrated by Bowser's failed attempt. They had to leave him alone for now, they believed. It was for his own good.

With nothing better to do, the others, including a now-recovering Bowser, proceeded to stroll around the roof in search of Exor. Soon enough, they noticed pieces of a giant sword lying at the far end. The pieces appeared to be unfamiliar to most.

"Yoshi don't know what sword pieces are doing on roof," Yoshi chirped.

"Wait-a," Luigi puffed, "Didn't-a Bowser say something about-a Exor's remains being up here?"

Silence overshadowed the party members as they, not including Mario, approached the pile of metal. Upon closer examination, it was revealed that the blade itself was separated into a plethora of tiny sections that carried some resemblance to pieces of a broken window, while the hilt was resting in the middle of the mess. The hilt itself was coated with sharp coloring, but the real attention-grabber was the way it was shaped; carved into it were a pair of eyes and a large mouth, both of which seemed like they could move. The face harbored what many deemed a fearsome appearance, designed to scare off those that had the misfortune of crossing paths with it. These recognizable features were all but clues as to who this particular entity was.

"So, that's-a Exor…" Luigi sighed.

"Yep," Bowser grunted in acknowledgement, "That's him. Now, all we need to do is assemble him back together and open up that portal. But the question is: how?"

Silence followed. No one was sure how to reassemble the broken sword-creature.

"Did you guys hear something?"

DK's words tore through the lack of noise and all eyes were on him as a result. Even Mario, who was still fuming over Falcon's "failure" to protect the Mushroom Kingdom princess, redirected his attention towards his former rival. The ape was on to something for sure.

"I thought I just heard something from downstairs," DK added, with a hint of uncertainty in his voice. In all truthfulness, whether or not there really was an odd sound from below was beyond him, but if the noise was real, then he would have to inform the others about it.

"You sure?" Wario grunted.

"You guys may need to listen more closely." DK then signaled the others to crouch down. All followed his orders like sheep following a shepherd, and pressed their heads against the floor in the process. The stone floor was uncomfortably cold, its touch a layer of ice. The winter environment, in spite of Dark Land's heat, only worsened the sensation, forcing some of the Smashers to flinch a little. A minute slowly passed, and no sound was heard. Patience was running thin among the group. The others believed that it was most likely DK's hearing playing tricks on him, and if that was the scenario, then attempting to listen to a non-existent sound would be a waste of time. Even so, waiting was the only way to verify his claim.

"I think that you're just-a hearing things in your-a head," Luigi puffed.

"I have to concur," Rosalina added. "It could just be something that may not exist."

_Thump…_

"Wait-a," Mario interjected, voice still trembling with a slight amount of anger despite his attempts to calm down, "I hear it."

"Same here," Bowser spat. "We gotta go investigate what's making that noise."

But, out of fear, Yoshi protested, "Bowser, you remember what we saw at front? Whatever caused guards to be killed could still be in castle, and it could also be making noise that we are hearing."

Not one to be deterred, Bowser arrogantly scoffed at Yoshi's comment before continuing. "So what? I can take on whatever or whoever caused the mess with no problem. Besides, there needs to be some punishment for murdering my guards!"

"Let's-a go," Mario ordered.

Treading carefully into the stairway leading down to the lower levels, the first thing that Mario and his allies noticed was that it was absolutely dark inside. There were light bulbs and candles scattered throughout the walls and ceiling, illuminated by the outside environment's lighting, but they were all inactive. The windows, for some strange reason, were blocked by what appeared to be blast shields, titanium plates designed to protect a building in the event of a lockdown. As soon as the door behind the group closed, light became non-existent. To add on to this blood-freezing atmosphere, the sound of the door clicking shut echoed eerily across the pathway to simulate multiple doors closing, one after another.

"Bowser," Rosalina whispered, "Is your castle normally… this dark?"

"No," the Koopa King grumbled. "Someone's cut the power to this place and activated the lockdown system prior to that. Don't know why the front doors are still unlocked, though..."

As they descended down the staircase with the others, Mario and Rosalina created small light sources with their Firebrand and wand, respectively. Using this new illumination, the Smashers were successfully guided to the door that would lead them into the larger rooms. But, they were in for a nasty surprise…

"What the hell is this-a mess?" Luigi gasped. In front of the group was a scene of carnage very similar to the one back at Toad Town. This time, however, the victims were members of Bowser's grand Koopa Troop, from standard Koopa Troopas to the once-mighty Koopatrols. The vast majority of the partially-decomposed bodies possessed numerous cuts, burns, gaping holes, and stab wounds, with blood oozing out of the injuries and onto the environment. Several of them were also missing at least one limb, and fewer still were decapitated. While examining the horrific mess, the Smashers happened to notice most of the missing body parts, separated far from their owners and smeared with blood; this detail, combined with the heavy, fear-inducing darkness, only exacerbated the nightmarish feel of the room. But the worst presented itself in the form of five bodies completely hacked to pieces, with entrails spilling out of each one.

Damage to the room was also present. A chandelier was no longer hanging from the ceiling and had fallen upon two unlucky Lakitus. Tables were completely reduced to tiny splinters and large chunks of wood while beds were knocked over. There were scratches on the walls caused by an unknown factor and a pathway that was missing a door. All this served to further deteriorate the room's condition.

And if that was not enough, there was a strong smell of decay that polluted the air, one that almost caused Luigi to gag and the others to cringe visibly. If anything, this hellish environment appeared to be just as terrifying as, if not worse than, that of Toad Town.

"Oh, dear…" Rosalina shivered, shaken by the visuals. To her, this level of violence was unbelievable. In a vein similar to Mallow, she had lived her life in a world where physical harm and death were kept to a minimum. Any real instance of the two destructive aspects of the world occurring to or around her was a rarity. Thus, it could be argued that a person knowledgeable of the Luma guardian's background would not find her reaction to the mess in plain view all that surprising, in pure truthfulness.

"I wonder if the Orm's Lords raided this place…" DK mumbled.

"We can't-a tell for certain," Mario sighed. "Although, I wouldn't-a be surprised if they did. Once we find-a the noise's source, we ought-a to investigate more of the castle to-a search for whoever's responsible for this-a massacre."

With no objections from the others, a search was initiated immediately. Care was taken to avoid squishing the horribly mutilated corpses, lest the Smashers found themselves standing in a hole-ridden body or an exposed intestine tract. There was a low amount of noise in the air, with the only sounds being the low, slightly louder thumping and the footsteps of those still breathing. The protagonists viewed every corner of the moderately large room, which was revealed to a barrack for the minions due to its contents, but nothing appeared to be the cause of the near-rhythmic noise that vibrated the castle's foundations. A search in a nearby shower area was also fruitless, providing nothing noteworthy aside from shattered glass and blood.

"Well," Mario sighed, "There's-a nothing in this area. We have to keep-a going down."

Leaving the cramped showering area, Mario led his group to the pathway without a door, which was actually a second staircase. This one was marked with smeared blood on the walls. During their continuous drop to the next floor down, the party members began to absorb what Yoshi had stated earlier. That alone was enough to chill their souls with fear; if the cause of this mess was still inside, then they would be in serious trouble if it turned out to be an especially powerful threat, and the fact that there was no light inside this apparently ruined structure only served to further put this troublemaker into an advantageous position, for it could simply hide anywhere within the shadows to strike the Smashers when they least expected it. Now that their minds were glued to this matter, something else popped up in their minds. If this… thing was also causing the noise that they were hearing, it would be a death trap for them all. They would end up like the dead Koopa Troop members around them… or worse…

"Yoshi nervous..." the normally jolly dinosaur whimpered.

"You're not-a the only one," Mario slowly admitted. His previous anger was giving way to sheer nervousness, as even he was not accustomed to witnessing such a horrific amount of bloody imagery. As he directed his group to the next room, which was a dining area, his heart seemed to pulse faster than before when he was face-to-face with yet another violent mess. There was no end in sight to this killing, just like the one back in innocent Toad Town. A question zipped through his head:

_How much more can I take before I lose my mind?_

The search continued, with each Smasher vigorously sweeping through each nook and cranny, but nothing interesting reveal itself expect for a few thick, black puddles reminiscent to the ones back in Toad Town. Leftover food on the table was starting to decay along with the bodies meant to consume it. The only difference was that the attacking agent was a mixture of mold and bacteria, as opposed to just the latter. The kitchen off to the left was, unusually, left untouched; there was no trace of carnage to be found whatsoever, perhaps due to a lack of a scuffle in the place.

The next room besides the dining area was deprived of bodies, although a heavy load of blood was present. More scratches were present on the walls, as with the previous rooms, but this time with a buildup of moss. This place was like a murder-filled prison now, if it was not that way before. The absurdly low thumping was building up in volume, which led the group to assume that the source of it was closer.

"Man," Wario sorely complained, "How much-a further do we have to go down?"

"We don't have the answer to your question," Bowser hissed. "And I highly doubt that whining like a baby is gonna make the solution come to you."

With his inflated pride insulted for the third time by the Koopa King, Wario stomped towards his adversary, only to be locked in place by Mario, Luigi, and DK. It was clear that the greedy man was allow his anger to boil over like steaming water, and his restrainers were the only people preventing him from wreaking havoc. Face red, voice growling, and muscles flexing, the savage beast in him quickly shoved Luigi off and tried to do the same for Mario and DK. His chances of doing so were destroyed, unfortunately, when Mario kicked one of his legs out from underneath him in order to be thrown down by the simian. As the room around him appeared to literally spiral out of control, Wario attempted to stand up, but Mario was the copperhead that stomped the overweight miser into the floor without warning. The others simply watched in confusion and shock as the red plumber delivered the damning blow.

"You know he's-a right on one thing, as-a much as I hate to admit it," Mario spat, his words dripping like venom. "You need to-a get your act together, unless you want-a to compromise our group."

"Fu-"

Wario could say no more, as the foot on his chest was redirected to his head in an instant. While it was now crushing him slowly and painfully, he was tempted to resist, but doing so would possibly cause Mario to reduce his skull to powder: an unpleasant fate that would rather be avoided many. There was no other choice but to obey his rival.

"I'm-a serious, Wario. If you-a do that again, I'll-a make the pain a lot worse for you. Understand?"

"Alright!" Wario shouted. "I guess I-a gotta play by your game then!" The area was calm once again as Mario pulled away to let the miser leap back up. While the adventurers resumed their search, an odd property of the room somehow not visible before suddenly revealed itself to them.

It was a large hole, right in the far corner of the room. And it was not supposed to be there.

"What's up with the hole?" DK mumbled.

"Oh, that's just great," Bowser growled. "Now I have to pay for the floor as well. Shit!"

"Never mind-a the floor," Luigi piped up. "We should-a see where the hole leads to."

At Luigi's suggestion, the Smashers approached the hole cautiously. Reignited after it was previously disabled in an attempt to control Wario, Mario's firebrand illuminated the hole more clearly, with Rosalina's wand acting as assistance. Despite the much-needed light, it was just too dark to view what was in the hole. In fact, the bottom appeared to be completely absent due to the estimated sheer depth of several hundred meters. Another interesting property was the lack of a room underneath when a normal gap would have created access to one, considering the castle's multi-floor structure. A chill seemed to crawl out of the darkness and quickly latched on to the very people gathered around the blood-soaked ledge.

"Yoshi wouldn't want to go down hole…" Yoshi chirped, frightened by the far drop.

"Mario, what should-a we do?" Luigi asked, unsure of the next course of action.

"We'll-a drop down through this hole," Mario replied. "Maybe we can-a get to the source of the noise faster this way."

"So, you wanna get us killed, huh?" Bowser grumbled. "Thanks, but I would much rather keep my life than get splattered against the cold, hard floor, if you know what I'm saying."

But Mario was not ready to back down. "You know, Bowser… You could-a hide in your shell to-a protect yourself from the fall."

Bowser remained silent for a few seconds at most, and then a thought raced throughout his mind. Using his past battles as reminders, he was able to recall the fact that his shell was notoriously impervious to most forms of damage, acting like a rear-facing shield of sorts. Perhaps it could survive a long fall. Of course, he had never fallen on his back from an extreme height and was thus left unsure if his shell really would protect him at all.

"Well…" he finally stated, "I could do that, but if I get injured, then you're gonna be held accountable and I'll eventually kick your ass to kingdom come."

"Yoshi," Mario turned to the dinosaur, "I want you to-a use your flutter jump to-a slow down your descent. Are you-a up for the challenge?"

"Yep," Yoshi chirped.

"I can-a use my Cyclone to stall my descent," Luigi added.

"Same thing with my Spinning Kong," DK grunted, cracking his knuckles together.

"Rosalina," Mario asked of the celestial mother, "Can you-a carry Wario down the hole? I don't-a want him using Wario Waft to slow himself down; that-a… move's gas honestly makes me sick."

"I will," was her response. Before long, the group dropped down through the hole mostly in a one-by-one manner, soaring through an empty column of darkness for several long seconds; Mario was on Yoshi's back as the former did not seem to have any way of slowing his descent, and Wario was levitated by Rosalina's magic. The other members utilized their gravity-defying maneuvers to soften their fall, which all ended when a floor zipped into view. Loud taps and a deep thud rang throughout their current location, which was a narrow, moss-filled hall filled with rusted prison cells. There was no trace of blood to be located, but this did not provide any comfort to the Smashers whatsoever.

"The hole leads to the prison block," Bowser disbelievingly grunted, standing back up. "Now that is REALLY going to put a damper on my money supply…"

_Thump… Thump… THUMP…_

"We're-a much closer now," Mario muttered. "Let's-a keep moving."

Stepping through the long hall of identical cells, the Smashers noticed the repetitious nature of the new imagery; in all seriousness, it was comparable to a broken vinyl record repeating the same sound over and over again. Only when a sharp turn to the left occurred was the pattern erased, and said turn led straight to a pair of rusted doors. When they were pushed open, a seemingly plain, moss-filled room awaited. There was nothing in plain sight. Nothing at all...

"Stay on your guard," Mario whispered.

As they quietly shuffled inside, they realized something important. Just seconds prior to stepping inside, the thumping suddenly stopped, leaving the area in absolute silence. This was a potentially ominous omen, reinforcing the fear that the noise could be originating from the very thing that slaughtered the Koopa Troop. Taking a detour to the right, Mario caught glimpse of an iron maiden, one of the most infamous torture devices in the history of civilization. What it was even doing here in the first place was beyond him, as Bowser was not universally known for committing dreaded acts of torture, at least not according to the hero's knowledge. There was that possibility, however...

Meanwhile, Luigi continued towards the center of the room while leaving the combined light of his brother and the space guardian behind. He was now covered with a black veil that not only blinded him entirely, but induced bodily and mental tension. Darkness was one of his worst fears ever, and he had to cope with being stuck in it numerous times during both mansion adventures. He would normally freak out if left in the dark by himself for too long. However, in addition to having teammates with him, a strange curiosity flared up from within, prompting him to explore the rest of the area on his own. In his past experiences, he had never visited this area of Bowser's lair, which was quite strange when considering his frequent travels into the whole structure. He had to explore this room more to discover what was hiding inside. Still, that was not to say that he was perfectly calm, for his fear of the dark was provoking a sensation of nervousness.

With nothing else to do, he took a few steps forward. He looked left, he looked right. Nothing in plain view. He stepped forward again.

And that was when a pair of menacing red eyes revealed itself to him.

"MAMA MIA!" Luigi's scream shattered the silence instantly, echoing throughout the room and shocking the others.

"Luigi, what's wrong?" DK puffed. He witnessed Luigi throwing his hands into the air, prancing towards the group like a crazed madman. But before the plumber could even take the chance to reply, a sinister voice presented itself to all the Smashers.

"Hahahaha… I have been waiting for you, Mario…"

Mario instantly recognized the voice. "So, we-a meet again, Agnetha."

Suddenly, the darkness succumbed to a dim yet intense shade of purple, thanks to a hanging chandelier from above. This new shading provided a rather nasty overtone to an already menacing structure, but that was least of the Smashers' concerns. Presented in front of them was a new threat: a Boom Boom, one of the most feared soldiers in Bowser's army. But there were numerous things that were simply not right about it…

"Wait," Bowser muttered, noticing the odd coloring of the creature's skin, "Boom Booms do not have that sick-looking skin…" Indeed, this Boom Boom's skin was an unhealthy pale, reminiscent of a corpse stored inside a morgue. There was also a reddish glow in its eyes, something that Koopas of any variety would almost never exhibit. Beside these properties, it was much larger than a standard Boom Boom and had long claws on its fingers. There was definitely something that drastically altered the creature into its current state, but what was it...

"How do you like this new creature of mine?" Agnetha giggled, appearing when her invisibility spell was nullified. "It took some time to create, but it was well worth killing off the Koopa Troop."

The Smashers were not able to answer her question, as they noticed two creatures in her hands. DK and Bowser were struck with horror as they recognized these would-be victims of Agnetha's murder spree.

"My son!" Bowser gasped.

"Diddy?!" DK yelped.

"That's right," Agnetha spat. "And they shall have their lives cut short by the iron maiden, and yours by my pet, unless you reveal to me the location of the staff piece."

Bowser's fury only spiked upon hearing those threatening words. "Like hell we will! How about this: let go of my son or I will rip your ass apart for good!"

"So uncivilized… You always let your anger the better of you, am I right?"

While Bowser unleashed a low growl through his gritting teeth, Luigi and Rosalina were struck with confusion. The former was unable to figure why the mutated Boom Boom created the low thumping in the first place, while the latter was clueless on the captain's revival after being dismembered with a Grand Star. Questions had to be asked soon, before it was too late.

"Why was-a that Boom Boom creating the thumping from before?" Luigi interjected.

"Oh, is it not obvious to you, Luigi?" Agnetha sneered, her demented grin growing in size. "After my pet captured the ape in the main room's trap, I had it stomp around this room to create a noise that would lure an unlucky visitor into this trap. And it worked out perfectly."

"With your-a first trap, you-a mean to tell me that the front-a doors were left-a open because of you?"

Agnetha's smile continued to grow. "Yes; I was looking for a hostage. I knew that you, the associated people, would come looking for him soon."

"Why is this woman still alive?" Rosalina asked of Mario.

"She's-a under the effects of Återuppliva, a magic spell that-a grants regenerative abilities as well as enhanced strength," the older plumber responded. "But her version also gives her the ability to-a revive upon-a death."

As questions were answered, Agnetha forced Diddy into the iron maiden and prepared to close the door. By this point, Diddy had regained consciousness and attempted to leap out of the device, but Agnetha accurately predicted his move and kicked him back down. On the other hand, Bowser Junior was still incapacitated.

"So, choose now," Agnetha hissed. "Relinquish the piece's location or perish!"

Mario's heart rate skyrocketed instantly. He was now forced into a disadvantageous position as Agnetha was now holding Junior and Diddy hostage, and with no way of reaching them without Agnetha or the Boom Boom interfering, he would have act carefully. Attempting to attack would result in unnecessary deaths, and revealing vital information for the Svärtad Orm's revival would just be aiding the Orm's Lords. Viable solutions were few and far between. What could he do?

Then, it occurred to him that he had obtained a POW Block from earlier. It could allow Diddy and possibly Junior to escape while still allowing him to avoid revealing the piece's location. Slowly reaching into his pocket while turning away from the two hostiles, he grasped the block tightly and pulled it out at a snail's pace.

"Well, Mario?" Agnetha whispered, growing impatient with the plumber's indecision, "Have you made your choice?"

"Yes, I-a have," Mario bluntly answered. Within a split second, Mario quickly rotated his body and tossed the POW Block into the center of the floor like a bowling bowl, the object soaring a short distance before striking the ground. A massive tremor immediately rocked the room, forcing both the Boom Boom and Agnetha to topple over in seconds. Diddy, with his opportunity now granted to him, leaped out of the iron maiden and snatched up Junior from the captain's hands before rejoining the others.

"Foolish bastard! Now look what you have done!" Agnetha roared, sluggishly standing up after the earthquake faded away. "Well, no matter. Now, I would love to deal with you myself, but I will have my creation do the honors. Pray that we do not meet again. Next time, I will not be so generous."

With Agnetha teleporting out of the area, the Smashers were now up against the behemoth of a Koopa. Diddy retreated to the doors in order to take care of the still-unconscious son of Bowser, and the others prepared themselves for battle. It was now a clash between good and evil.

"Well," Wario grunted, "This is-a gonna be fun."

* * *

_I swear, I'm gonna murder Agnetha the next time I see her. That bitch has gone too far this time around! First, she denies me of my plan to take over the Mushroom Kingdom, then she murders my loyal soldiers, and now she just threatened my son! She better pray that she does not see me again, lest I tear her throat out. After that, I'm gonna go with the Smashers to find the mastermind behind all this and tear him apart too!_

_I also have a bit of a side note to add on. I hate to admit it, but I should be thanking Mario for saving my boy. _

_-Bowser Koopa_

* * *

**Will the Smashers defeat the Boom Boom? Also, what has happened to Peach? Is Falcon really to blame for the princess's distress, even though it seems unlikely? We'll find out on the fifth and final part of this theatre, which will be coming soon.**

**A/N:**

**-When the leader of the cult and his servant were speaking, I had their lines italicized to represent them speaking in a foreign language.**

**-More translations:**

**"Röda Blodigel"="Red Leech"**

**"Vit Hjärta"="White Heart"**


	7. Mario's Theatre: Finale

Mario's Theatre (finale): The Last Step

* * *

**Time to finish this theatre, once and for all. **

**Mario and his group are so close to the piece and now there are only a few things that they have to do in order to obtain it, among them the elimination of the mutated Boom Boom, which you will see in a moment. **

**Let's-a go!**

* * *

_There are souls in the world that are said to be pure of heart…_

_Having strong defenses against the temptations of the world…_

_They serve as shining examples for the societies they represent, revered by many…_

_Innocence is their charm, peace their passion…_

_But, their purity is what renders them the most vulnerable to evil forces…_

_Many criminals and tyrants have sought to use or even outright corrupt them for their dastardly purposes, especially when the pure hearts hold special, world-altering attributes…_

_Most have failed…_

_The few that have succeeded were able to bring tragedy and disaster beyond imagination…_

_Sorrow, anger, violence, and even death are the by-products of such exploitations…_

_Angels can permanently lose their wings to forces beyond their control when such corruption of the heart occurs…_

* * *

Mario rushed forward to deliver a flame-fueled fist to the magically enhanced Boom Boom, but was quickly swatted out of the air. As his body painfully collided with the hard pavement of the castle, he noticed, for a brief moment, Bowser launching his shell into the monster's face, with an impact following afterwards. But a combination of a cracking sound and a yell of pain from the Koopa King himself led the plumber to assume that the attack was not enough to ever stagger the threat. Dizzily regaining his composure like a slow sloth, Mario could feel a sharp, throbbing pain coursing through his form, affecting every single area possible from head to toe. Needless to say, the Boom Boom's strike was on par with Bowser's usual attacks for being one of most painful things ever experienced. Of course, he was not one to give up simply due to sheer pain; if anything, he would battle it out until he or his opponent was either dead or incapacitated.

"Let's-a do this!" Luigi yelped. Closing in on the monstrosity, he leaped up to deliver a rising uppercut of surprising power, with a flame effect to boot. The creature unleashed nothing but a low growl as it slightly recoiled from the blow. It then utilized its sharp claws to perform violent surgery on the younger brother, but the effort would be in vain when he performed an arching backflip to escape. Grunting with frustration, it decided to satiate its thirst for blood by targeting the two Smashers closest to it: Yoshi and DK. DK began to simulate the effects of an earthquake by pounding the nature-granted tools known as his hands to the ground, while the dinosaur prepared to leap into the air. Their efforts ended in misfortune; not only was the Boom Boom unfazed by the ground-shaking, but it was also able to slash Yoshi in four different places before smashing the off-guard ape into the floor. Soaring backwards into a wall, Yoshi was partly coated in his own blood now that parts of his skin were torn open. Staring down at his body, the blood-soaked sight disturbed him to say at least; the deepness of the wounds forced his mind to believe that he could bleed to death if he was not patched up soon. Regardless, the benefits of treatment would have to wait until later, for a greater problem was still lingering. Dazedly standing back up, he limped towards the others to rejoin the fight.

Rosalina, as per her magical ways, summoned a red-tinted Luma to assist her in the battle. In a second, the newly-formed duo separated to attack the monster from different angles while also assisting Bowser, who was ready to launch a stream of fire from his gaping mouth. Flames rushed into the battle area to scorch the Boom Boom's skin, while magical blasts and rapid-fire punches added on to the assault. Wario, in a quick second, whirled into the air with hands extended upwards, smacking his opponent numerous times. Yoshi encased an egg around himself to batter the monster's legs numerous times, while DK, who had just recovered, leaped into the air to deliver a crushing haymaker to the skull. As a final addition to this layered cake of violence, Mario and Luigi unleashed blasts of fire and electricity to roast the gargantuan Koopa's skin cells, overwhelming the creature even further. It, on the whole, seemed that the monster was doomed to be overpowered by the efforts of the fighters, but then…

_BOOOOOOOOOMMMM!_

"MAMA MIA!" Mario yelped as he was unexpectedly launched backwards from a sudden explosion of darkness. His party members were blurs to his eyes as all tumbled towards the continuous wall that stabilized the room. As he attempted to stand up, he noticed that the Boom Boom had slammed one of its fists to the ground to produce a rather large, radius-clearing blast to launch all the Smashers backwards. Ordinary Boom Booms could not perform such an attack, he recalled. The Orm's Lords, Agnetha specifically, had definitely altered this creature, but how great the mutations were was left unknown for the moment. For now, caution would have to be exercised in this sort of situation.

"That… hurt…" DK groaned as he struggled to recover.

"Oh," Bowser growled, flaming eyes directed towards what used to be one of his loyal soldiers, "You think you're so tough, huh? Let's see if you can handle this."

The Koopa King rushed forward like a Bullet Bill to aggressively strike down the Boom Boom. Leaping into the air, he quickly forced all of his weight down in the form of a butt-stomp aimed at the top of the cranium. Only mild success was awarded; the blow inflicted a slight dizzy spell, but otherwise had no visible effect. Claws were brandished to tear through the creature's mildly charred skin, and slash marks were produced as a result. But the wounds regenerated with surprising speed.

"That thing's-a under the effects of Återuppliva," Mario muttered to himself, being one of the first to notice this property of the Boom Boom. "I hope it's-a not the advanced version that we're-a dealing with here."

DK skidded underneath the enemy to grasp one of its legs tightly, tapping into every ounce of his strength to topple it over. As soon as the creature noticed that it was being attacked, it proceeded to swat at DK. Luigi leaped into the fray to assist his partner by distracting the monster. The extreme weight of the Boom Boom meant that the simian was straining his own body just to pull a leg out, strong as he was. Lactic acid was spreading throughout every muscle, with a sheer burning sensation occurring not too long after. Lightheadedness was an unseen phantom slowly crushing his head. Nevertheless, one grand yank was effective enough to knock the mutated Koopa down and leave it vulnerable to attacks. Mario, ready to deliver an execution of fire, formed a massive fireball in his hands, then launched it at neck-breaking speeds. In the moment that the projectile impacted its target, a fiery inferno resembling a lava pillar from a volcano showered the center of the room with embers, with the resulting orange glow contrasting sharply with the violet-colored area. The Boom Boom roared loudly as fire coated its whole body, but it still found the strength to leap back into a standing position. Its skin was now significantly roasted, intensifying its already hideous appearance and matching its eyes more accurately in terms of color alone.

"Damn!" Mario grunted, unsatisfied with his failed kill move.

Luigi executed his Green Missile maneuver quickly, but the Boom Boom successfully stopped his attack and, with a head-smacking punch, tossed him towards Bowser, who was in the process of performing a body slam. The two Smashers were compacted into a ball that rolled across the floor, inflicting significant injuries to both of them. Luigi, in particular, suffered the full brunt of this painful event, as he lacked the protection that Bowser's shell was able to offer. In fact, the initial attack and the subsequent collisions with the floor were able to completely knock him out.

"Get off of me…" Bowser snarled at the unconscious plumber, "Right now."

Meanwhile, Rosalina gradually powered up the Luma for an attack aimed straight for the Boom Boom's head. Focusing her power into the star being, she let loose these words from her mouth:

"Luma… GO!"

The Luma erupted into a burst of stars like a rocket, soaring quickly into the monster's cranium to deal a concussive blow. Given that it was distracted with Mario, Wario, and Yoshi, the Boom Boom failed to realize in time that a much smaller star creature was about to slam into it.

_CRACK!_

The Boom Boom was once again in a dizzied state, albeit for a longer period of time. Wario immediately exploited this period of weakness to release an explosive pillar of flatulence, followed by a fireball from Mario to ignite the gas. The finale to this hellfire was a specialized, highly explosive egg from Yoshi. The amount of burns increased as quickly as a set of cancer cells during the meager amount of seconds required for the resulting fire to smear itself across the skin. Återuppliva was keeping the creature intact, but it seemed to Mario that it would falter if subjected to any more burning attacks.

"Won't-a this thing simply go down already?" Wario puffed, frustrated that the Boom Boom was still standing. Before he could strike again, however, he and Mario were slashed across the chest with claws. As with Yoshi, blood poured out of the wounds and partly coated both cap-wearing men in seconds, discoloring the clothes with a dark red shade. While stumbling back from the pain, Wario was snatched by his enemy and soon found himself being crushed to death by large, bulky hands. Sinking his teeth into the fingers proved to be fruitless, as the monster was unreactive to whatever painful sensation was being inflicted; in fact, such an action only provoked it to squeeze him even further. He shook back and forth to free himself from this death grip while yelling loudly, but progress was essentially non-existent as the hold was far too tight for him to even wiggle around. There was no doubt in his mind that he was going to die if nothing interfered, in spite of his higher pride and arrogance. But there was no way that he was going to give up now. He just needed to keep on trying…

"Let me… go, you-a son of a-"

_SL-SL-SL-SL-SLASH!_

Wario was suddenly dropped to the floor in the aftermath of a slashing attack directed at the Boom Boom. A highly explosive roar of pain punctured the sound barrier, nearly causing the ears of those nearby to bleed. In fact, the Smashers were forced to shield their ears so as to not lose their sense of hearing. As Wario analyzed the instantaneous changes in the group's situation, he caught glimpse of a surprising sight.

One of the Boom Boom's arms, the left one specifically, was lying right next to him, soaked in black blood and separated from its owner.

"What the hell…?" Wario muttered, unsure of what exactly caused the arm to be torn off violently. But it was not until a few seconds of searching that he witnessed his answer: Bowser, his now-extended claws stained with the monster's blood.

"That's what ya get for disobeying me!" the Koopa King roared, seemingly under the notion that the creature was technically still one of his own workers. He lunged forward for another strike, but the enhanced Boom Boom was able to retreat into its shell and slide out of the way before it could get mauled. Due to his slow recovery speed, Bowser could not twist his body around in time to avoid having a foot slam into his shell. One loud crack and a burst of pain later, Bowser came to realize that he was now buried at least a few meters into the floor, surrounded by stone and isolated from the others. By this point, he was now a bruised mole that had just been hammered back into the ground, with the Boom Boom acting as the hammer. A struggle to regain a standing posture ensued; besides the difficulty of rolling off of his rounded shell in spite of the spikes, the tight radius of the hole was a malefactor that sought to impose pure fatigue and pain on the Koopa King.

"Why the hell does this have to happen to me?" he spat, all while shaking in all directions to free himself. During this process, a loud squeaky yell, presumably from Yoshi, echoed from the room above. The tight space of the hole prevented the noise from reaching Bowser's ears in its fullest strength, but failed to block it completely. After numerous failed attempts at shaking around, Bowser resorted to twirling his shell at high speeds to grind up the nearby stone into powder. While it did lower him a slight amount into the ground, it also expanded the shaft's bottom by a considerable amount, allowing him to hop back up to his feet.

"Now we're talkin'," he grunted. Shifting around, Bowser started his ascent into the room for the purpose of reuniting with the others, but a hard sensation of pain acted as extra weight for him to carry. At one point, he was even completely frozen in place as his muscles were on the verge of failing him.

"That fool… just picked the wrong Koopa to mess with," he growled. "I may be down, but I'm not out." Determined to reach the top, he was able to overcome his weakness to continue on with his climb.

* * *

While the Luma continued to attack with its flurry of Star Bits from a minute before, and Yoshi with his inexplicably infinite amount of eggs, Rosalina was hammered in the abdomen by a bulky fist just to be tossed right into DK, who failed to notice the celestial maiden flying into him until it was too late. As with Bowser and Luigi minutes before, both of them tumbled backwards a significant distance. Their bones would have been cracked, possibly beyond repair, had DK not forced his weight into the ground to create friction. They successfully halted when they just inches from a nearby wall, although the simian had received scrapes across his back as a trade-off for his protection. Letting go of Rosalina, he muttered:

"You okay, Rosalina?"

"I'm alright," she replied, preparing to conjure another attack. With a quick twirl of the wand, she created an energy sphere to be launched at the Boom Boom. The impact, unfortunately, did not even produce a visible amount of damage. It did, however, force the creature to turn around and stomp towards the Luma guardian.

"Where do you think you're-a going?" Mario spat, witnessing the Boom Boom fleeing from him to attack two of his cornered party members. Mario rushed to the creature to deliver a surprise uppercut fueled by flames, with semi-satisfactory results. Burns infested skin yet again, but death would still not claim a victim by then. He continued his volley of flames by tossing fireballs in the Koopa's direction, which was boosted by flaming breath from the now-reemerging Bowser. Feeling both overwhelmed and fed up with the Smashers, the enemy leaped a great distance into the air and then violently crashed into the floor. A shockwave tore through the area like an explosion, flinging away all those caught in the radius, including the still-unconscious Luigi. As pain ripped through his body once again, Mario was staggered with an unpleasant feeling. The creature was clearly getting burned by the flames inflicted upon it, and one of its arms was sliced off, as the plumber came to notice. But even so, its resilience was far beyond that of anyone else with Återuppliva, with the possible exception of Agnetha. It was not ready to surrender any time soon, and it was still standing strong. Just how much more could it withstand before it succumbed to a maelstrom of fire and dismemberment?

Then, he realized something important. Rosalina was not aware that the only two ways of defeating an Återuppliva-enhanced being were burns and dismemberment, and the lack of such knowledge would be detrimental to her, if not outright deadly.

"Rosalina," he coughed, "Do you-a have a burning or dismembering attack?"

"I can summon an explosive Grand Star," she muttered back. "But, once I do, I will not be able to use the move again until the next day. Other than that, I can use my wand to produce energy beams and short-ranged slashes that can cut through most objects."

"Use those moves. If you-a use any other attack, then that-a thing will never go down."

"Okay."

DK unleashed a full-blown Giant Punch into the Boom Boom's nose, with the sheer force of the attack causing the Boom Boom to drop like a heavy sack of potatoes in what might be considered a few seconds. Yoshi, leaping into the air, followed it up with a series of ground pounds that would curse any normal target with a headache. But after ten blows in, he was impaled in the stomach by one of the monster's razor-sharp claws. DK, Rosalina, and Mario gasped at this horrific sight as they watched blood pour out of the gaping holes poked into the dinosaur's body. Bowser and Wario did not appear to visibly react, but they too were somewhat shaken by the stabbing.

"Yoshi!" DK yelled.

"Oh, no…" Mario whispered. Yoshi was soon tossed across the room, eventually landing near a now-awakened Luigi. As the green-clothed plumber regained full visual clarity, he noticed several blood stains off to his left, with them leading all the way to the center of the chamber. Horror would dawn upon him as he glanced at the opposite end of the trail, only to catch a glimpse of a wounded Yoshi.

"Yoshi, what-a happened to you?" he gasped, staring at the ugly stab wound.

"Giant Boom Boom…" the dinosaur croaked, "Stabbed Yoshi… Yoshi need help… Please, help Yoshi…"

"I-a need to get you out of this-a room. You're not-a gonna be able to fight in this-a condition." Luigi picked up Yoshi and proceeded to drag him out of the room via the rusted doors, all while avoiding the heated conflict. The seemingly simple task was complicated by Yoshi's weight; in all truthfulness, he was the equivalent of watermelons stuffed into a bag, filled to the absolute limit. Two hands were needed for the plumber to truly overwhelm the high girth factor of the dinosaur. Inside the cell-filled hallway, a union between two pairs was established when Luigi approached Diddy Kong, who was still attempting to wake Junior up.

"Is Junior okay?" Luigi muttered. Even though the young Koopa was an enemy of the Mario Brothers, Luigi found it quite heartless to wish death upon him. In fact, unlike Mario, he harbored a belief that most criminals of any sort, with a few exceptions like Ganondorf and the Lords, could be redeemed through the power of goodwill, regardless of their crimes. Junior, in his eyes, was no exception.

"He's fine," Diddy answered. "But, he's still not waking up. I'm betting that something really powerful must have impacted him so as to render him unconscious for who-knows-how-long."

"Right-a. I-a wish I could-a say the same for Yoshi, but he's not-a lucky as Junior…"

"What happened?"

"Take a look." Luigi laid Yoshi's blood-drenched form against a nearby wall and then partially opened up the doors to provide some light. As Diddy strained his eyes to examine the dinosaur, he nearly leaped back upon witnessing a potentially fatal wound at the center of the abdominal area. The blood surrounding it exacerbated the sudden reaction to where Diddy nearly hyperventilated for a few seconds; the complete and horrific image was only a few steps below being equal to the carnage that conquered Toad Town, which was itself quite frightening. Slow to regain mental composure, he was forced to undergo a breather period to calm down before continuing the conversation.

"What happened to him…?" he finally squeaked.

"The Boom Boom that the others are-a fighting stabbed him with-a one of its claws."

"Ouch…"

* * *

The remaining fighters continued their assault on the Boom Boom. Mario and Bowser continued to unleash flames; Rosalina fired an energy beam that was barely tearing through a thick leg; the Luma was punching the cranium, and the other two launched multi-hitting attacks to overwhelm the monster. Even with the plethora of attacks, however, the Koopa was still not tiring out, still clinging to life through fire, Star Bits, limb loss, punches, and vice versa. Twirling a fist around, it swatted away all but Bowser and Mario.

"We're not-a hammering it hard enough," Mario puffed, now frustrated with the lack of progress. "We-a need to try something different. Bowser, I-a need you to go after the legs; slice them off-a with your claws."

Bowser did not respond to Mario's comment, his mind only focused on slaughtering the Boom Boom. With a loud roar, he retreated into his shell to spiral around the foe in a fast, continuous loop. As the number of revolutions increased, dizziness wrapped its arms around the monster's burned body and proceeded to tighten its grip at an exponential rate. Posture was losing stability and visual clarity was slowly fading away. A swelling pain within the cranium led to two massive hands applying heavy pressure to the affected place. If this terrible sensation continued to dominate its body, the Boom Boom would topple over and be left in an unfavorable position.

_SLASH!_

However, Bowser rushing forward at blinding speeds to slice both legs off forced the creature into said position right away. Black blood stained the darkened floor, and the legs were launched at high speeds into the far side of the continuous wall. A loud roar of pain echoed throughout the room for the second time, but this occasion's length was nearly three times as long as the previous one. It was also much louder, which, combined with the longer length, resulted in pure torture to the ears of the Smashers.

"Can't this thing shut up?!" DK yelled, straining his voice in the process. Bowser, undeterred by the noise, sliced off the Boom Boom's remaining limb and followed it up with a decapitating swipe. More blood sprayed onto the environment, and as the supposed death of the creature reached full circle, the noise faced an abrupt end, left to reverberate faintly. As the others stared on, a feeling of relief rushed into their bodies upon realizing that the threat was finally eliminated. They could now return their original mission of reassembling Exor, the sword that acted as the key to reaching Smithy's dimension. It was also an appropriate time for Mario to check up on Yoshi, who had sustained a serious injury in battle. Hopefully, his longtime friend was alright…

"Let's-a get going," he ordered. "We-a still need to reactivate the portal in-a Exor's mouth before we can obtain the staff piece inside-a Smithy's."

"Yeah," DK muttered. "But, the question is: how-"

Following a small cracking sound, an abrupt jolt rocked Mario's body, followed by him suddenly being pulled away from the others. Sliding across the ground at a quick pace, he barely had the bodily coordination needed to twist his body all the way around. But upon shaky completion of the task, he was able to catch a glimpse of his new assailant: a tentacle emerging from the now-broken shell of the Boom Boom.

Wait.

Something was not right. If a tentacle just exposed itself from the dead Koopa's body, then…

"I gotcha, Mario," DK puffed as he rushed in to rescue the plumber. Tapping into his raw simian strength, he locked the tentacle in place by squeezing it half to death. Mario quickly escaped, but a complication presented itself in the form of seven more tentacles emerging from the back of the shell, shattering the hardened piece of apparel completely. The blackened tentacles resembled a group elongated snakes, minus the facial features and varied colors, and the way they were arranged closely resembled the hairstyle of the one of the three Gorgons of Greek mythology, Medusa. They all scrambled to capture the ape, but failed to do so when he somersaulted away at the last second.

"What the hell is that…?" Bowser muttered to himself. Confusion would dig even further into his mind as new limbs sprouted from the bleeding stumps of the old ones. These replacements were, in all seriousness, certainly more hideous in appearance; the skin was a very sick brown in color, while wrinkles and spikes dotted it from shoulder to end or thigh to end. The longest of the black-tinted spikes were located on the shoulders, with the runner-ups attached to the back of the feet. At the very end of each finger and foe, a razor-sharp claw was formed from pure bone. In their minds, the observers believed that these skeletal extensions were more than capable of completely tearing an opponent to shreds. The torso's skin gradually transformed to match that of the limbs, completing the uniformity of the new appearance.

But the frosting of this ugly dessert was the head. Emerging from the decapitation wound, it vaguely resembled what originally resided on the top of the neck, but the similarities ended there. Besides the new skin, the teeth were extremely sharp to the point where they could pass off as exaggerated. The red coloring of the eyes was still present, but it was now a natural tint instead of a glow. And to top it all off, the hallowed appearance of the eye sockets resulted in shadowy circles surrounding the eyeballs themselves. Needless to say, this new creature was an abomination from the blackest pits of Hell.

"That looks pretty gross," DK spat.

Before the Smashers could take action, the monster leaped towards the exit. Mario suddenly remembered that Diddy Kong, Bowser Junior, Luigi, and Yoshi were behind the doors. With the dinosaur injured and the young Koopa unconscious, there was no telling how severe the potential disaster would be if the doors were torn down. With adrenaline kicking in, Mario leaped up to pound the creature's skull with a fire-fueled fist. The attack yielded pitiful results, with no flinching or clear amounts of damage.

"What the-"

_BAM!_

He was cut off when a wretched hand slapped him into the ground, leaving him with scrapes and bruises. Meanwhile, Bowser performed his aerial butt-stomp once again, but this time, the move inflicted no damage at all. In turn, several deep, bloody scratches were formed across the front of his shell by vicious finger claws. The Koopa King's own claws were ineffective at tearing through the monster's skin; in fact, it was now far too thick to be penetrated.

"Oh, you've got to be freaking kidding me," he growled. After another fruitless strike, he was hammered with a tentacle swipe that tossed him like a ragdoll. A trail of blood was left behind as he rolled across the ground.

"Mama," the Luma chirped, staring at the ongoing violence, "What should we do?"

Rosalina, with nervousness and uncertainty in her voice, replied: "I'm not even sure. That thing is not reacting to what Mario and the others are doing to it, and I doubt that we can affect it either."

"Should we fight it?"

"If the monster either comes close to us or places the others in an unfavorable position, then we should. But please, try to keep your distance when the time comes, my child."

"Yes, Mama."

* * *

On the other side of the doors, isolated from the intense fighting, Junior was beginning to awaken after being stuck in an unconsciousness state for an unknown period of time.

"Uhh…" he moaned, clutching the back of his head, "What happened…? How long was I out for?"

"I don't-a know," Luigi answered. "We've just-a got to this place."

Junior soon realized that, in spite of the low lighting, he was staring right at Luigi and Diddy, the former being one of his primary enemies and the latter serving as a secondary. Shuffling backwards in a clumsy manner, he attempted to reach for his magical paintbrush, only to notice that it was not on him.

"Hey, you little greenie," he spat, "What did you do to my paintbrush?! And what is this smelly ape doing here?"

"Whoa," Diddy interrupted. "Calm down, kid. We're not here to fight you. In fact, we may actually need your help on something…"

The young Koopa was not persuaded by the ape's words. "I don't believe you guys. You're here to invade this castle, aren't you?!"

Diddy slowly raised his hands in front of him while resisting the urge to yell. "Look, I understand that you have no idea what's going on, but I'm trying to explain everything and you just won't listen. Now, can you please control yourself for one second?"

"I'd rather-"

_CRASH!_

The rusted doors leading into the chamber were forced off their hinges by the mutated creature in a second, crashing against the cells afterwards. As Junior stared at the new threat in terror, his body was quickly frozen in place. The monster possessed a very threatening aura with its characteristics, such that it nearly caused Junior's heart to outright stop functioning altogether. He could not even bring himself to scream, for his voice was lost. His muscles were locked by true fear's influence; not even a twitch could occur because his body was so unnaturally rigid. Breathing became non-rhythmic and very erratic. To top it off, a low growl from the hideous figure exacerbated the aforementioned problems. This loss of control was overwhelming, as he came to realize. In reality, the only thing that was stable was the one thought piercing his mind:

_I am going to die... I am gonna die by this monster's claws…_

"What is that supposed to be?" Diddy mumbled, disturbed by the mutant's new appearance.

"Mama mia, is that-a… the Boom Boom?" the also-unnerved Luigi gasped. A closer examination of the physical features revealed that the monster was indeed the Boom Boom, albeit in a heavily altered state.

"Get away from my child, you bastard," Bowser snarled as he forced his opponent into a chokehold. Locking his hands together, he proceeded to squeeze as hard as possible to direct its attention away from his son. Predictably, the transformed Boom Boom reached towards the back of its neck, but failed to get a proper grip on the constantly dodging Koopa King. The tentacles were no better, as they too could not properly strike him down.

"Papa?" Junior muttered. "Is that you?"

* * *

Mario and DK grappled the creature's legs to topple it over while it was distracted with Bowser. Their bodies were pushed to the absolute limit as muscles worked to their maximum capacity, while hearts pumped blood at faster rates than normal. The former rivals' combined efforts allowed for more progress in a shorter amount of time than what DK had achieved alone, but an extreme weight value still prevented quick execution of the self-assigned task; if anything, the monster's weight was comparable to a compacted group of Thwomps, animated cinder blocks that would flatten whatever was beneath them. Two tentacles, in addition, also proceeded to complicate the situation by attempting to tear them off the lower extremities. Seconds passed and the former Boom Boom was now unintentionally approaching the cosmic duo of Rosalina and the Luma.

"Here I go," the Luma squeaked, slightly nervous about joining the battle. Sneaking up from behind, it placed its stubby arms on the Koopa's tail and quickly yanked backwards to aid Mario and DK. In a vein similar to the other two, it was straining its own body to pull a very heavy monster, but the sheer pain of doing so was even greater for the living star because of its lesser strength. Lightheadedness was not only plaguing its tiny form, but it was also sending into a state of near-collapse. To worsen things, two of the enemy's tentacles were wrapped around it for the intent of dragging it away.

"I can't… hold on… for much longer…" it croaked.

"Go down already...!" DK grunted. With one mighty yell, he jerked the left foot abruptly. On the other side, Mario imitated the ape's actions with the right. In the small amount of time required for the living tower of doom to slam into the ground, the Luma quickly fled to avoid death by crushing while Bowser whirled to the other side of the head to continue his frenzied attack. With one massive thud, the creature was down and its tentacles were flattened by its own mass. Bowser, fueled by violent motives, utilized his claws to puncture the devilish, red-soaked eyes of the being that was once a loyal servant to him. Darkened blood spewed from the sockets like hot water from a geyser, splashing all over the tyrant's face; the pattern of drops that formed during this event sharply resembled what would be commonly witnessed on a variant of dog known as a Dalmatian. Not satisfied with his first attack, Bowser dug his hands deeper into the sockets to mutilate the inside of the monster's skull.

"Bowser, watch out-a!" Wario called.

But it was too late. The abomination finally gathered the strength to hoist the Koopa King into the air with almost no effort on its part, only to stuff him into its wide-jawed mouth. Reactions to the event were those of disgust, filled with cringing and shielding of eyes from nearly all those nearby. Mario was the only one who appeared externally unresponsive, but underneath the surface, his reaction was unique, completely set apart from all the others. In all seriousness, he was unsure on whether or not he was to be glad about Bowser's fate.

For as long as he could remember, he had harbored a fiery hatred for the Koopa King, born from the constant kidnapping of the princess and the bouts of troublemaking within the Mushroom Kingdom. No matter the location or time, Mario was always dead set on his defeating nemesis, if not outright destroying him. While there were other foes that had sown seeds of destruction, Bowser's persistence was what singled him out from all the rest. Their numerous clashes had ignited a flame of mutual spite, one that had no regards to time and thus, would never burn out.

However, as much as he detested Bowser, an even greater hatred buried deep within his mind was now emerging. In the few days that this adventure had spanned across, the Orm's Lords had committed more frequent and far greater actions of evil than Bowser, whose relatively lesser crimes were scattered over a period of years. They had killed hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent lives in the Mushroom Kingdom, with the number possibly being even greater with all other realms considered. They forced the king and queen of Nimbus Land through torture, as Mallow was so kind to reveal back at the Royal Bus, and, most importantly, were responsible for Peach's unpleasant fate, all for the goal of conquest. Even though he still believed that Captain Falcon was partially responsible for the lattermost problem, the Orm's Lords deserved some of the blame as well. It was safe to assume that they were the ones who actually forced the fate upon the princess.

There was no doubt in his mind that Bowser was clearly the lesser of two evils; in fact, he would much rather let Bowser live than allow the Lords to conquer the realms.

"Well, he's gonna get digested soon," DK sighed, referring to the sight of Bowser being swallowed whole.

"You're-a going down, sucka," Wario taunted. His uppercut was far-reaching and fast, but lacked the power to cause the monster to even flinch. This left him vulnerable to a slashing attack aimed directly at his back, with great accuracy in spite of the creature's newfound blindness. With the claws tearing through his skin, Wario was soon bleeding across his back, further soaking his overalls in his own blood. Rosalina focused her wand's energy beam at the neck of the monster, but the thick skin was able to resist the attack altogether.

"Guys, watch out-a," Mario announced. "I think that-a thing's going to go crazy."

Indeed, the creature was now beginning to exhibit signs of entering an erratic state, marked by uncontrolled roaring, twitching, and violent shaking of arms and flattened tentacles. But not one second had passed before it was violently attacking without regards to itself or anything around it. Luigi, now rejoining the battle, launched fireballs to halt his enemy, but to no avail.

"What?" Luigi gasped. "Fire doesn't-a affect it anymore?"

Five claws quickly lunged at him, ready to shed blood. Luigi was able to avoid most of them by ducking, but one was able to create a gash on the upper part of his right shoulder.

* * *

Bowser slipped down the esophagus of the creature and was quickly dumped into the acidic environment of the stomach. This new environment was very organic in character, as it was composed entirely out of damp, living tissue. It was also very rancid; besides the appearance of the tissues, the acid harbored a sick, nauseating appearance that would cause any normal person to cringe or even vomit, and its horrid scent was so intense that it nearly killed off Bowser's sense of smell. The stomach was a nasty environment in general terms, but Bowser soon found it ironic that such a thing was important for an organism to function properly in the first place. To him, it was a love-hate relationship. Its environment was absolutely disgusting and was one of the last places that he would ever consider traveling in, but without the organ itself, a heterotroph, a creature dependent on outside sources of food, would not survive.

"Yuck," he puffed. "I would not wanna be in this craphole for too long." His comment was not referring to just the sickening environment. He was not the smartest being around, but he was also not unaware that stomach acid was corrosive enough to dissolve nearly anything that was dipped into it. If he remained where he was, he would be monster food in minutes. Using his claws for traction, Bowser proceeded to climb out of the pit. Due to the creature's erratic state, constant shaking was threatening to knock him back down, which could potentially seal his fate. Through his claws were still clinging to the inner walls of the esophagus, they could barely withstand the spasms to the point where Bowser would slide down every few seconds. Inner strength was the only savior that was lifting him out of this organic inferno.

"I'm not going down that easily," Bowser slowly growled. With all his might, he successfully covered the vast majority of the food-consuming tube, enough to where he was within approaching distance of the mouth. But obtaining a solid grip on the tongue was rendered impossible when a spasm from the monster forced him off the wall. Falling down at a blinding pace, Bowser desperately plunged all of his claws outwards, creating deep, bleeding scratches on the interior of the tube-like environment. Not one to back out of a challenge, he continued his climb, but stopped when he noticed a faint, purple glow from one of the wounds.

"What's this?" he mumbled to himself. Digging ever deeper, he liberated himself from the esophagus to enter a new area of the monster's body: the chest region. Many important internal organs were located in this region, such as the lungs and the rib cage; all were required for most animal-based forms of life to be possible. What stood out the most, however, was the heart. The constantly pulsating component of the cardiovascular system held an abnormal glow of purple, in contrast to the lightless, pink-coated appearance of the normal sort, and it was quite swollen, almost as if it was about to burst. As Bowser examined it, a thought impacted his mind. Something had to have transformed it into its current state, but what? Magic from the Orm's Lords was involved, no doubt, but his mind somehow believed that Återuppliva was not used for the alterations present. Determined to search for answers, he decided to contact Lillian, all while clinging to the outside of the esophagus in order to avoid falls from the monster's spasms.

"_Bowser?_" Lillian's voice resonated a few seconds later, "_What's going on?_"

"Hey, Lillian," Bowser answered. "What sort of magic is being used to transform one of my loyal soldiers into hideous monsters?"

"_What do you mean?_"

"My group is currently fighting a mutated Boom Boom that was heavily altered by Agnetha. I was able to kill it, but it soon came back to life as an even uglier version of itself and is now attacking us once again. I'm on the inside of it right now, looking right at its purplish heart."

"_Interesting. A few days ago, Falco and Samus both reported to me that they had encountered creatures almost identical to the one that you are battling right now. I need to look into this matter as soon as possible. As for the heart, you should attack it if possible. The two group leaders found out that attacking the heart was able to defeat the creatures, which is useful information when considering that their skin is immune to most attacks._"

"Gotcha," was Bowser's last word before closing the mental communications channel. Brandishing his claws, he slowly climbed upwards for the kill.

* * *

The situation was becoming very bleak for Mario and his allies. Luigi was bloodied and noticeably injured after sustaining numerous deep cuts from the claws. Rosalina was incapacitated when the aftermath of the creature destroying her normally resilient shield produced a violent reaction to outright stun her. In addition, the explosive Grand Star summoned from before could not faze the creature at all. The Luma was crushed into the floor by a devastating punch. Wario was horribly scratched thanks to a couple razor-sharp claws. Mario himself was also injured, though he was generally faring better than the others. As well, the problems with Bowser and Yoshi, along with Diddy being unable to help, persisted. This enemy was immune to nearly all attacks, including those involving fire and cutting. Maybe now was the time to flee, as there was no way that they would be able to defeat their foe without losing their lives. A few minutes earlier, he had commanded Diddy to check any possible routes of escape in the event that the group was forced to retreat. But until then, the fighting would have to continue.

"Alright-a, big guy," Mario spat, voice low and angered, "Let's-a see if you-a have any more tricks up your sleeves."

In a split second, he was now on defense, avoiding every attack that was thrown out at him. Claw swipes, punches, and tentacle whips sought to break his beaten body, but dodging motions prevented the reaper from stealing his soul. If he could not kill the monster, then the next best thing was to hold out until Diddy could pinpoint an escape route. A minute passed and the excessively long battle was still going, with Mario still not attacking and the monster still failing to spill his blood. By this point, his body was beginning to tire out, with the pain of his injuries and low energy levels causing his performance to slowly deteriorate. He was utilizing every last ounce of his endurance to resist the temptation of collapsing, but it seemed that he would inevitably fall and leave himself vulnerable to the monster. This worried him greatly, for if he did succumb to his weakness, then he would not just be making Diddy's search worthless. More importantly, he would fail the quest prematurely.

Time was slowing down in his mind. A headache was pound on the inside of his skull. His muscles were on fire while his wounds ached horribly. The followed words played in his head like a broken vinyl record:

_When will this ever end…_

"Mario!" a voice suddenly called. The rusted doors whirled open to reveal the cap-wearing ape, ready to present important information.

"Did you-a find an escape route?" the weakening plumber questioned, still avoiding strikes.

"I'm afraid not. The stairway to the upper floors is blocked by a huge mound of rubble, so we're basically stuck down here."

"Are you-a kidding me-"

_CRACK!_

Swatted across the room with inhuman force, Mario's body was wrapped with suffocating pain, with the pressure of it all skyrocketing upon being buried into a wall. Close to blacking out, the only image present in his eyes was the creature slowly approaching him, dead set on finishing him off. His body could barely function anymore. Death was definitely coming for him. This time, it was not possible to search for a way out of this mess.

There was no escape from Death's arms this time around.

"Well…" he croaked. "I'm-a dead…"

Claws were raised into the air, ready to rip apart flesh…

But out of nowhere, an unexpected twist of luck appeared. The monster suddenly unleashed a massive roar as intense pain swarmed its chest like fire ants. Clenching the affected area was utterly useless in blocking the sensation out, as the nerves were simply overloaded to the point where outside interference would have no effect at all. Stumbling backwards, it eventually tripped and collapsed to the floor, too battered by agony to even stand up.

"What the heck… is-a going on?" Mario spat, coughing out blood as he did. But not much time had passed after the comment before he realized that part of the monster's chest was expanding upwards. As the bump increased in size, the constant roaring increased in volume, eventually forcing Mario to shield his ears and shut his eyes. And through it all, the plumber could not even notice a squelching, gushing noise from approximately the same location as the roar. Only when the roar had faded away was the secondary noise audible.

And it was originating from a Koopa King emerging from a newly-forged hole in the defeated monster's chest.

"Bowser?" Mario mumbled, surprised to witness his longtime enemy still standing, albeit coated in stomach acid and black blood. A grand expression of triumph was painted all over Bowser; such expression consisted of a wide grin, hands glued to his sides, and an upright posture. Combined with the liquids on his body, it gave the others the impression that he had been to Hell and traveled back to the living realm alive.

"Oh, yeah!" Bowser shouted. "You just can't beat the BOWSER, motherfucker! Did you honestly believe that you were going to beat ME, the awesome king of the Koopas? I didn't think so! And your mutations? Tsk tsk. I'm still better than you, regardless! And that's a fact!"

"He's-a too full of himself sometimes…" Mario whispered to himself. His legs wobbled as he gathered whatever strength he had remaining to regain a standing position. Wracked with serious pain, he slowly limped over to the Koopa Kingdom's ruler to ask a question out of curiosity.

"How did you-a kill that thing?" he spoke, his voice ready to give out.

"Isn't it obvious, pasta lover?" Bowser chortled. "After I was able to break out of the esophagus, I completely tore that S.O.B.'s heart apart. Lillian told me that it was one way to kill it, as per information from Samus and that bird-boy Falco."

Mario shrugged as he absorbed the comment. "That's-a good to know. But I-a still would rather not-a face that thing again. Now, we need-a Rosalina to lift us out of this place."

Bowser interpreted Mario's last sentence as vague in character; what was it about the celestial woman that was important? "Why's that?"

"She's-a the only one who has powers of levitation and if I can't-a wake her up, then we're-a screwed. Diddy just-a revealed to me that the stairway leading to the upper floors is-a blocked."

"Well, in that case, why don't you wake her up?"

Disregarding the rude tone of voice, Mario staggered over to the resting Luma guardian to gently shake her back into consciousness. The effort was marked by Mario slightly distancing himself from her so as to avoid dampening her delicate body with his blood. A minute later, she was slowly awakening from her forced slumber.

"Are you alright-a?" Mario whispered, unsure about Rosalina's status. The shockwave could have possessed the potential to inflict invisible but possibly serious damage on her body and he would not even notice it before it was too late. His question was his way of ensuring that she was not harmed in any way.

"I'm fine," the motherly protector sighed. Gripping her wand, she levitated herself off the ground to check up on her Luma. Upon approaching the tiny hole created from it being smacked by the monster, she cradled the star creature into her arms, examining it for injuries. Meanwhile, a reunion between father and son was unraveling on the far end of the chamber.

"Papa!" Junior squealed, tears of joy streaming down his face. "You're back! I'm so glad you came back… I thought you were never gonna save me in time."

"I'm glad to see you too, son," the Koopa King replied, comforted by his son's status as being alive and well. "Now, I need to see if you can help me on something."

"What is it, Papa?"

"Up on the roof of this castle are the remains of a sword known as Exor, who was part of the Smithy Gang that invaded my castle many years ago. I need to have him reassembled so that we can enter Smithy's place and get one of the five pieces of the Staff of Björn."

Junior's curiosity spiked upon his father mentioning the ancient artifact. "Wait, what is the Staff of Björn?"

"I will tell you in a bit."

Examining those wounded in battle, Mario was significantly concerned. Serious injuries were present on the Smashers that had lagged behind in the luck category, with Yoshi, now being carried into the chamber by Diddy, being the unluckiest of them all. They all appeared as if though the reaper was approaching them at a slow but alarming rate, which truly was the case. Worse yet, no one else appeared to be in possession of an item that could mend wounds. To his knowledge, the only healing equipment available was a Mushroom stored in his pockets, but there were two problems with that item in particular. For one thing, it was only large enough to fully feed only one person, so choosing who to heal was a decision that was to be made carefully in regards to injury severity. An indirect but still unwarranted casualty could happen if his decision was made without consideration. Secondly, even if it was not split between two or more people, it still would not offer the same benefits as a full-fledged medical kit or perhaps a very rare Ultra Shroom. The plumber soon spent over a minute to reach his decision before finally locking his eyes onto a certain green dinosaur.

"Hold-a still, buddy," he sighed.

"I don't-a feel well…" Luigi moaned. Besides bodily weakness, the total blood loss was imposing a blackout period of about several seconds, where vision was clouded by a darkened veil. Lightheadedness also gripped his cranium during that tiny moment in time.

"I might-a need a shower now," Wario grunted, staring at his blood-soaked form.

Yoshi could barely even operate his muscles without pain tearing through his nervous system. His wounds, especially the hole in his stomach, formed a straitjacket that crushed his whole body together, leaving it unable to perform most actions requiring motion. Staring at the approaching Mario was perhaps the only thing that was not restricted, but that was adversely affected by clouded vision, in part due to hemorrhaging.

"Alright-a, just hold still," he could hear Mario mutter. The next event was a bit blurry to him; he was lapsing in and out of consciousness as a Mushroom entered his mouth. Consuming the hearty fungus quickly brought out healing effects, minor as they were, to slightly alleviate the crushing pain, but the minimal level of treatment meant that he was still considerably injured and, therefore, would still die if a greater method of assistance was not administered soon.

"Rosalina," Diddy asked, "Can you give us a lift to the roof? The stairway to the upper floors is blocked, and some of us, including me because the Lords stole my jet pack, can't go back up the way we came from."

"I will," was the celestial woman's response. But she was prevented in initiating her teleportation process when a higher-pitched voice, Junior's specifically, echoed across the room.

"Wait! I need to get my paintbrush from my room. It's where I left it before the robed guys attacked this place."

Absorbing Junior's comment, Rosalina conjured a magical field resembling a milk-tinted bubble around the entire group before teleporting to Junior's heavily decorated room. With the aid of Mario's Firebrand, Junior then spent only half a minute searching for his Gadd-designed paintbrush before retrieving it from one of his cabinets. Teleportation occurred once again, this time bringing the group to the roof, Exor's resting place. Once again, the foreboding atmosphere of Dark Land, with its smoky volcanoes and darkened terrain, was present in the eyes of all. Its heat still reduced, but did not completely eliminate, the impact of the winter's cold climate.

"Okay," Junior announced to the others. "I'm gonna use my paintbrush on this Exor guy and see if he reassembles. If he does, then we can enter Smithy's dimension."

Wasting no time at all, Junior splashed a rainbow-colored paint all over the shattered remains of the Smithy Gang's giant sword. The resulting puddle expanded across all fragments, displacing the dull gradients of each in favor of the entire color spectrum. Once the paint job was finished, everyone waited with anticipation and eagerness in their hearts. Nothing happened for the next couple of seconds.

"Hey, Junior," Luigi started, "I don't-a think this is-a going to-"

His voice trailed off when the puddle began to animate, swirling the fragments around in seemingly infinite directions; this mysterious action was as if though an invisible artist was utilizing his grand paintbrush to mix everything around. As the paint oozed around, the pieces were arranged in the format that they originally possessed before the demise of Smithy, appearing less like a pile of scrap metal and more like a massive blade of terror. Connecting together like pieces of a puzzle, the bond between all components was soon restored, which was the precursor for the paint to hoist the completed product into the air.

Mario was now staring into a familiar face of terror, one that had not been witnessed in long years. Jaw forced against the upper mouth, closed eyes alight with a demonic, mechanical aura, Exor's facial area was truly an embodiment of evil, one out of many that the plumber had witnessed in his lengthy career. It was something that he had hoped to forget, but the sight of it all caused the memories to resurface against his will.

"Now I need to get the mouth open," Junior's voice knocked Mario out of his mesmerized state. "Papa said that the portal had to be willingly opened up by the sword himself, but since he's dead, I'll have to pry it open myself."

Junior pointed his paintbrush at the mouth, with the action magically ordering the paint to slime over the specified location. One quick downward motion later, the mouth was fully open. The Smashers peered inside, only to realize that it was pitch-black, just like the inside of the previously-attacked castle. What differentiated the two, however, was that the mouth's interior had no environment at all: no walls, no floors, nothing. It was just empty space.

"Where is the portal?" Luigi muttered. "I can't-a see it."

"Me neither…" Yoshi whimpered, his voice weakened by his deteriorating condition.

No one else could add onto the conversation, for an intense red light radiated from the depths just seconds after Yoshi's comment. Overwhelmed by the new sight, the travelers shielded their eyes to prevent blindness, but it was only a matter of time before they felt a pulling sensation accompanying the powerful illumination.

"Wait-a," Wario grunted. "What's-a going on?"

"We're-a being pulled into the portal," Mario answered, bracing himself for the forced transportation. Eventually, all were sucked into the darkness of the alternate dimension, the red light disappearing as soon as they passed up the mouth itself. In Mario's mind, this event was a near-repeat of what occurred many years ago after Exor's initial defeat, with the only differences being his party members and the fact that he and Bowser were prepared for a situation like this, resulting in no screaming from either one of them. Eventually impacting a nearby floating platform, the Smashers were introduced, or reintroduced in Mario and Bowser's case, to a darkened land floating in the middle of a dimensional canvas with equal hues of dark coloring. Up ahead was a trail leading into an ominous structure in the far distance, with the building's outlines being the only thing describable about it. All other characteristics were recessive alleles suppressed by the dominant darkness, unable to be revealed except with the right combination of traits regarding light and distance.

An older, long-forgotten stronghold of evil was once again present in the eyes of the older plumber and the Koopa King…

"Well," Mario muttered, "Let's-a go."

At Mario's command, the stroll towards an abandoned fortress soon began.

* * *

_At the unknown realm…_

The young man woke up with a splitting pain across his entire body, his vision blurry as he tried to force his eyes open. He shifted his beaten body around, rubbing against a smooth, seemingly soft substance in the process. When he was fully awake, he was greeted with a scene drastically different from the one that he was in previously. For one thing, the area was mostly composed of polished, brightly-colored marble: from the floor all the way to the ceiling. The only exceptions to this were the windows, a nearby wooden cabinet, the lamp on the ceiling, and the bed that he was resting on. Curtains were draped over the windows, blocking out whatever amount of sunlight was outside and preventing outsiders from peering inwards. A warm air filled up the room, its gentle touch blocking out some of the pain from his inflicted injuries. Upon staring down at his body, his eyes were presented with an image of partially soaked bandages wrapped around his wounds. The bandages were not there before.

Someone decided to lend him a hand while he was out; at least that was he believed in. But before he could drag himself out of the comfort of the bed, the door slowly swung open, revealing his possible savior.

"_Where am I?_" he asked.

* * *

Now inside the extinguished inferno that was Smithy's residence, the group slowly proceeded through a hallway of inactive machinery and total darkness, with Mario, Rosalina, and the Luma serving as light-producers. The cold air silently breezing through the area sent continuous chills in the spines of all, with the chills being amplified by the slight nervousness spreading throughout the Smashers' minds. With no other light around and with such a large amount of space available in this factory, there was the possibility that something could be hiding in the darkness, waiting for the right time to strike.

But that would be a rather far-fetched belief, right? The factory had been isolated from the Mushroom World for many years since Smithy's fall, which would reduce the aforementioned chances of enemies hiding inside to almost zero. In fact, the only factor could prevent the percentage from reaching the absolute bottom would be realm-traversing forces, of which there were only few: Lillian, the Lords, and the inhabitants of the Flipside-Flopside world. But even so, only Lillian was aware of this place's existence; the others supposedly were not. It only had to be the sheer darkness of this place that was causing the chills.

"Am I the only one who's being a little jumpy about this place?" Diddy mumbled.

"No, I'm-a nervous myself," was Luigi's response. "But, at-a least it isn't-a filled with gore."

"I have to agree with Luigi here," DK added. "I would not want to see another scene like that again…"

Passing by the various segments of the factory where numerous enemies, like the Gunyolk, were encountered, the Smashers continued their stroll down the mechanical palace of a now-dormant terror. Aside from Mario and Bowser, who were returning visitors, they all examined the numerous properties of the seemingly monochrome area as their steps carried them forward. Pipes littered the walls and ceiling, crossing over each other and blocking out what was behind them. Massively long belts stretched across nearly the entire width of the place and surrounded both sides of the cold floor. Claws loomed overhead, decorated by the long-gone smith king to resemble sinister faces. The floor was elevated in certain areas, which were marked by a repeating yellow-and-black stripe pattern. With all information absorbed, there was but one mental comment forged in the minds of the observers:

_This must be what the mechanized version of Hell looks like._

Eventually, the lengthy path ended with three shafts close to the end of the floor, with one being taller than the rest. Just before the edge was a belt that stretched lengthwise, the opposite situation to the other belts in the area, and it was attached to a metallic slide extending out of the tallest shaft. This was the pathway leading up to where Smithy himself formerly resided; Mario's still-vivid memories had, of course, assured him of this fact.

"That's the path we should-a go into," he announced. Carefully trending up the incline to avoid slipping, he inhaled a large amount of air before performing his leap into the narrow abyss. Air rushing up to his face to pierce through the silent atmosphere, Mario was now at the full mercy of the inescapable gravity of nearly all worlds. He was descending at hundreds of meters per second, the exact rate lost due to a lack of calculations. Eventually, he would slam into metallic grounds, to the same platform where a furious duel raged between his group and Smithy. It would only be a matter of time now…

After his descent continued for nearly half a minute, something appeared off to him. He had not made his landing yet, with his feet still free in the air. Keeping his Firebrand illuminated, he intensified its flames to examine the surroundings for any clues to the unusual turn in his situation. All that was visible was the typical assortment of pipes coating the walls, nothing else. That had to be something in this place to notify him of his approach to the platform. He drilled deep into the mineral mine of long-lost memories, but nothing was visibly recognizable to him at first. He continued to search for long seconds.

And that was when he unearthed a precious diamond inside his mind.

* * *

_With all his might, Mario fiercely kicked a winged Red Shell at Smithy's face. The impact, besides dealing heavy damage, provoked an irresistible urge from the mechanical Santa Claus-lookalike to fire a demonic scream at the boundaries of the room, almost causing the platform to rumble in the process._

"_NOOOOOOOOOOOO…!"_

_The pounding of the hammer echoed continuously to overwhelm the opposing warriors with a cacophony of metallic noises. Staring deep into the eyes of the warmonger, Mario could only sense a raw, white-hot anger that was unable to be suppressed by anything else and would likely continue for a long time. The former detail was soon verified when an Aero leaped into the battlefield to cool its master's temper._

"_Calm down, Smithy!" it squeaked. "Your head looks like a geyser!"_

_The raging madman disregarded the comment and continued to indulge himself in his violent behavior. But the minions were not willing to witness their creator be driven into this state of uncontrolled fury. A Drill Bit, acting as assistance to the Aero, hopped into the chrome-colored arena and ended up on a spot off to Smithy's left._

"_Don't get so worked up!" it begged. "Think of your blood pressure!"_

_It was not very effective, as Smithy was not exhibiting any signs of letting his temper go. In fact, it appeared that he was actually being pushed closer to the verge of absolute instability. A Shyster quickly landed in front of him, ready to inform him of something important._

"_We just built this yesterday," it muttered, "And the foundation's very weak. So… STOP SHAKING THE FLOOR!"_

_All three minions tightened up their semi-circle to observe their leader's reaction to the last comment. A second zipped by and a reaction was produced. But it was not what they had hoped for._

"_How utterly annoying!" Smithy roared. Raising his hammer one last time, he smashed the floor to successfully incapacitate his subordinates, but the blow also provoked a sudden reaction from the now-weakened platform. As the period of rumbling spanned across long seconds, segments of the ceiling rained down like hail, with a few pieces nearly crushing Mario and his allies. The heroes were shocked by the unraveling events; the fact that the platform was ready to drop meant that they would be falling to deaths, and there was nothing that they could do to save themselves. Smithy, on the other hand, was overwhelmed with confusion._

"_Huh?!" he gasped. "What the…?! How in the heck…?!"_

_But nothing else was spoken, for the platform finally lost all of its integrity and snapped off the chains._

* * *

The platform was destroyed during the final battle.

How could he have not realized this before? Now, assuming that the fall was not lethal, he was certainly going to suffer from broken bones and other severe injuries for the rest of his life… unless there was something in his possession that could assist him in any way.

Quickly digging through his pockets with his free hand, he ended up gripping onto something very soft. To his knowledge, it could not have been purchased from the store; he had near-photographic memory of where he placed his earned items at, and none of them were previously inside the pocket that his hand was currently in. Then, it occurred to him that this object was his cape, a specialized piece of equipment useful for not only deflecting enemy projectiles away from him, but for slowing down his descent when the occasion called for it. This would definitely be a lifesaver in this situation as well. Disabling his Firebrand to avoid setting it on fire, he swiftly brandished the handy tool and raised it over his head while gripping the twisted ends tightly. Air resistance was able to drastically decrease his falling speed to achieve a much safer landing, one that ended with him stepping onto a surface recognized by his feet as uneven. His curiosity provoked, he forced the yellowish sheet back into storage and rekindled his Firebrand, only to discover yet another area long-neglected by outside forces. Surrounding him was a metallic junkyard filled with numerous gears, wires, and robot heads scattered in no particular order. All of the heads were exactly identical to each other in every way possible; they possessed the same bulging red eyes, the same set of awkward teeth, the same head shape, and the same yellow crown. Such properties were characteristic of Smithy's true form, which was more powerful in comparison to his standard body.

"It's-a been awhile since I've-a down to this-a hell," Mario whispered to himself. He continued to remain frozen in place, until a distant shriek from Luigi reminded him that the others were still falling down. The darkness would surely pose a lethal problem, he believed, as it was currently preventing his party members from knowing when they were going to crash into the floor. If he remained idle…

With no time to waste, he boosted the flames of his Firebrand to the point of creating a small column of fire over his head, hoping that the sign would be effective enough to be visible at long range. And by sheer luck, it was; a white light, most likely from Rosalina's magic, shined from dozens of meters over his location. As it gradually descended to the unstable ground, nine figures of different shapes and sizes were rendered visible to his eyes. Luigi, in particular, was no longer screaming, but his face was frozen into an expression of unbelievable shock because of the sheer terror of falling down a great height. On the other hand, Bowser appeared to be annoyed, likely due to the younger plumber's previously uncontrolled shrieks.

"I swear," the Koopa King growled, "If you scream like that again, I will personally make sure that your voice box gets torn out, one way or another."

"Save that for-a later, Bowser," Mario sternly remarked. The next image flashing before his eyes consisted of Rosalina disabling her energy field, dropping most of the other eight a small distance to the floor; thankfully, she did not drop them on the painfully sharp crowns that could impale an unlucky living being. All nine of his partners performing what he deemed several cuts below imitating his earlier actions. What many would consider a minute soared by before expressions of interest on the faces of all except for Bowser and Mario surfaced like dolphins leaping out of the water. To add, DK, wishing to satisfy his curiosity, asked the plumber one answer-worthy question:

"What is this place supposed to be? It looks like a junkyard to me."

"This is-a the place where Smithy's true form was-a fought," Mario answered. "Smithy, in case you aren't-a aware, was-a the leader of an army of machines, called the Smithy Gang, that-a wanted to rule the Mushroom World by destroying the Star Road to-a vanquish all dreams and create an endless supply of-a destructive weapons."

"That seems like a disturbing thing to deal with: no wishes left and being surrounded by weapons of murder."

"It-a sure is… Now, we must-a find the staff piece in this-a area."

The search initiated with Mario's comment, with each member trending through steel to locate the diamond of the Staff of Björn. Junk from all sides served as significant obstacles, its presence able to easily conceal smaller objects such a chunk of a precious mineral. Caution was strictly exercised, as the crowns, equipped with razor-sharp spikes on their tops, were scattered throughout the floor; in all seriousness, this place was like a minefield due to the danger present. The sounds of crunching and scraping echoed endlessly as feet pounded against metal to disturb the otherwise silent atmosphere of the deactivated factory. Manual labor, represented by the lifting of gears, digging, and other appropriate physical actions, had to be utilized for the occasion. The diamond could be anywhere in this place, the Smashers believed, and would be easily missed by searching eyes if some degree of rearrangement was not performed. About two minutes into the search, Luigi nearly lost his footing when he stepped into a miniature pit formed by several Smithy heads. This would have been lethal to him had he completely toppled over, for he was in close proximity to a crown.

"That was-a close," he mumbled.

"Man, it is sure going to take us a while to find that staff piece," Diddy commented.

The smaller ape's comment could not have been closer to the truth; after long minutes of searching, the diamond was still nowhere to be found. Searching for a needle in a haystack; that was the situation the Smashers were stuck in. Impatience was reaching fever pitch in Wario and Bowser due to their very low tolerances for long searches and long processes in general, but that was not to say that the others were immune to a slowly growing frustration either. Mario, pushing gears up and knocking heads aside, was being plagued by a sickness of irritability that only worsened with time. His efforts so far were without any real degree of success and a temptation to quit was starting to build up inside his mind. Pure determination was the only thing pushing him and his allies to continue both their search and their mission, for if they backed out now, then they would be failing the Smash Brothers, Lillian, and all of the realms depending on them.

There was no room for quitting when they had come this far, Mario believed. They had to keep pressing forward…

"Where is-a the damn thing?" Wario grunted, his irritability revealed by his tone of voice. "I just-a want to-a get the hell out of this-a place ASAP!"

"Papa, how am I supposed to know what the diamond looks like?" Junior questioned, unfamiliar with the staff piece's appearance.

"I think we may be searching in the wrong part of the factory," Rosalina sighed, losing interest in the search.

"Rosalina may be right," Yoshi squeaked. "We should head back up to upper part of factory."

"This is really starting to piss me off," Bowser snarled. "We've been down there for who-knows-how-long and there's no sign of the freakin' diamond. I want out, now."

"Bowser-" Luigi started.

"I don't wanna hear it, greenie! This search is a waste of my time and I wanna leave this place now! How are we supposed to find the diamond in this place with all this junk lying around, huh? You tell-"

He was cut off mid-sentence when Mario, after closing in on his location, powerfully socked him in the nose with a flame-fueled fist. The others could only watch as the Koopa King was launched into a Smithy head right behind him, the object suffering a massive dent as a spiky shell was forced against it. Not finished yet, Mario approached his long-standing enemy and shoved him into the floor with great physical strength.

"We're not-a leaving this-a place until we have-a the diamond," he spat, eyes filled with fire and teeth bared. "Do you-a understand me?"

"Oh, blah blah," Bowser responded. "Listen to yourself for once, pasta head. Do you honestly believe that you can force me to stay down in this hellhole for another-"

Mario utilized his lightning-fast reflexes to shove an elbow against Bowser's throat. The amount of pressure applied by the plumber was so great that suffocation was now a legitimate threat to the king; it was thus natural that he would offer some resistance, but each attempt only tightened the plumber's hold against the neck. If this continued, Mario would choke him to death.

"I don't-a care how badly you want-a to leave," he heard his rival hiss in a low, threatening tone. "If you-a try to ditch our-a group for any illegitimate reason, I will-a beat you to a pulp. Got that?"

Bowser was about to shove Mario off of him but restrained himself at the last second. As much as he so desired to attack his longtime rival, he realized that there were definitely more important matters at hand. But by this point, he had forgotten about that on multiple occasions due to one important reason. He was allowing himself to be influenced by trivial things, no doubt about it, and the fact that he was forced to work with Mario and his allies only worsened the problem. He would need to show better control over himself to avoid compromising the group's efforts. He was left with no choice but to force this one word through his mouth:

"Yes." The chokehold was quickly released, and the Koopa King slowly rolled back up to his standing position. But he was not able to stumble more than a meter from his initial position before a comment from Luigi shot into his ears.

"Wait-a. What's-a that?" The younger brother of Mario pointed his right index finger to the Smithy head damaged by Bowser's shell, which was now exhibiting an unusual characteristic. The crack created by the deep dent was releasing a white glow, one that was able to illuminate the bottom of the entire shaft... and one that was able to outshine whatever Mario and Rosalina were currently using. Approaching the head, Mario had to place a hand over his eyebrows to avoid blindness. Something noteworthy was happening, he pondered, and this was without any doubt. But what was it exactly?

"Be careful, Mario," Luigi called, worried that his brother might trip and possibly fall on a crown. But Mario's traction was strong enough to withstand the unstable terrain and thus, allow him to reach the head. Combining raw strength with his heat-based powers, he tugged on one side of the opening to reveal the inside of the mechanical cranium, only to be exposed to the one thing that he and his fellow Smashers had battled long and hard for. At the very center of the cranial cavity was a glowing diamond carved into a rounded sphere, an atypical form compared to what would be witnessed on many pieces of fabulous jewelry. The seemingly holy glow was also very unusual, as minerals were incapable of releasing any sort of light without reflecting some from a nearby separate source. Such properties could only mean one thing.

"That's-a the tip of the staff," were the only words that escaped Mario's mouth. What it was doing inside the dismantled Smithy copy was beyond him, but such a question was overshadowed by the sheer satisfaction rushing through every area of his mind. Collecting this piece would certainly mean taking a step, even if it was a small one, in preventing the dreaded Svärtad Orm from being resurrected. And collected it he did; it was yanked out of its resting place in less than a second and subsequently stuffed into one of Mario's many pockets.

"Finally," Wario grunted, wrapped in relief. "We-a now have the piece. Now, let's-a leave this rusty dump."

"How did that-a thing get inside the head?" Luigi curiously asked.

"You've-a got me," his brother replied, completely unsure of the answer. "I'm not-a sure how it ended up inside the Smithy copy, but we can-a worry about that later. We should-a head back to the Smash Mansion right-a now."

At Mario's command, Rosalina conjured an energy field around the fighters to transport them out of the dark dimension and back into the Mushroom World. Following the group's return, Bowser Junior dismantled Exor's corpse by using his paintbrush to magically command the paint to disappear. A short but ear-shattering cacophony coincided with the paint seemingly vanishing into thin air, forcing the Smashers to cover their ears with hands. Preparing to inform Lillian of his successful retrieval of the staff piece, Mario pressed his right hand against the corresponding side of his cranium, patiently waiting for her voice to echo inside his mind.

"Alright-a," he whispered. "Where are you, Lillian?"

"_Mario,_" the maiden's voice suddenly spoke. "_What do you need?_"

"I've-a got the staff piece from my world." Mario eyes were locked on the spherical diamond, which he just removed from his pocket.

"_Excellent work, Mario. Now I must inform Master Hand about this so that he can create a portal for you and your group. Also, I am noticing that some of your members, especially Yoshi, have recently been injured. The monster was able to injure them, am I right?_"

"Yes. I need to-a get them back to the Smash Mansion so that they can-a receive some medical treatment from me. Just-a let me know when the portal is-a ready to be opened."

"_Okay._"

The telepathic link was disrupted by Lillian and all was silent in his mind once more. As he continued to remain where he was, a cold wind breezed through the otherwise-heated atmosphere of Dark Land. The chills that crawled across his spine were relatively minor, but they were not negligible. In fact, they were the reason why some of his muscles were becoming tighter within the last few seconds. To shake this sensation off, he quietly inhaled a great amount of air and then exhaled at a rate much slower than normal. The process was able to relax the tension-ridden part of his body almost instantly.

"You okay, bro?" Luigi chirped, noticing his brother's most recent actions.

"I'm-a fine, Luigi," Mario yawned, stretching out his back as he did. "There's-a nothing wrong."

"We got staff piece," Yoshi squeaked, trying to sound joyous but failing in the process due to his still-weakened physical state. "Now we can go back to Smash Mansion."

"So you have the staff piece, eh? Well, too bad you will not be leaving this realm with it."

Mario suddenly performed a half-circle spin in a clockwise direction and was soon confronted with the source of the voice standing at the very end of the staircase: a woman with dark-colored clothing and a sword in one hand. Adrenaline coursed through his body as he instantly recognized her; she was the one person that he had hoped to never cross paths with again.

"So you're-a back for more," he growled, bracing himself for a potential battle. "You just don't-a ever give up, eh Agnetha?"

"Wait a minute," Junior mumbled, recognizing Agnetha's face from the earlier assault on the castle. "I remember her… She's the lady who led the attack on the castle…"

"Why should I?" Agnetha spat, her attention still focused on Mario. "There's no reason for me to be backing out on the intent to revive the Holy Serpent. That would be disgracing the sacred organization that I proudly serve. Now, hand me the staff piece or I will kill all of you on this spot."

The greatest hero of the Mushroom Kingdom was unfazed by the threat. "Forget it. I'm not-a letting you and your stupid cult revive that-a monster. Now-"

"Mario," Luigi interrupted. "I don't-a feel good…"

"Wait-a, you what?" Mario glanced back at his brother, only to notice him and a few others gripping their stomachs tightly. This sight brought immediate concern to the older plumber's mind; something was wrong with them for sure. But he was not sure of the exact problem, and if he could not its source in time, then it could possibly spell doom for his affected partners. Confusion was the only thing occupying his mind during the initial observation.

"Papa," Junior squeaked, worried for his father's well-being, "Are you alright?"

"What's-a wrong with you guys?" Mario asked. But only one second had passed before Luigi, Yoshi, DK, Bowser, and Wario quickly dropped to the floor, their bodies completely compromised by pain. Alarmed by this sudden event, Mario's mind was thrown into panic mode. His allies were now in serious trouble and could possibly die in the next couple of minutes, but what could he do to help them?

Then, after further examining the exact symptoms of the unknown condition, he was immediately reminded of the one thing still lingering in their bodies via an earlier conversation with the Star Spirits. Misstar had informed him that the poison, dubbed "Igel" by Lillian, was merely halted by the combined efforts of her and Eldstar, along with a Tasty Tonic fed only to Mario. She also warned that the poison would become malignant again once several hours had passed, with Mario himself being granted more time due to the aforementioned Tasty Tonic. That time was enough for the group to retrieve the staff piece from Smithy's residence, but now it was quickly coming to a close, and with Agnetha nearby, a serious predicament was being forced upon Mario.

"You've-a got to be fucking kidding me…" he harshly puffed, slowly approaching his enemy in the process.

"Aw, some of your teammates are dying already," the captain jeered. "That's good, because I will be able to crush your resistance with ease. Now allow me to introduce your new partners, and reintroduce in your case, to a specialized move that can conquer large armies with little effort on the user's part: _Skugga Dimma!_"

_WHOOSH..._

Agnetha, for the second time since the start of the adventure, conjured a black mist to blind the Smashers. While confusion generally plagued those caught within the affected area, Mario was better prepared for the incoming attack and proceeded to create a small, mist-dispelling tornado by spinning his fists in a haphazard manner. His vision now clear windows to the world around him, he tried to search for the others via their bodily outlines, but the mist was so dark that it prevented him from executing such an action. Instead, he brought his cape out so that he would be able to deflect the needles when the time was right.

"What is going on here?" Rosalina coughed. Still maintaining her grip on the wand, she attempted to conjure a shield for protection purposes. But, as she came to realize due to the lack of a distinct sound, her magic was somehow being suppressed. That was not a pleasant sign to her, but worse still was the sound of her Luma crying out for help.

"Help me, Mama!" it squeaked, unable to locate its mother. "I can't see…"

"What is this…?" Junior gasped, all while constantly stumbling due to his blindness. Scrapes and minor bruises were building up on his body by the minute, but this event would only be the prelude to something more terrifying. A sharp pain, the kind often felt from being shot with a firearm, suddenly tore his chest and forced him down to his knees. In fact, it was so severe that it was able to remove his ability to scream at the top of his lungs, a natural stimulus to such a horrible sensation. Only when he stared down at his chest was the source of the sudden agony revealed to him in the form of long, skin-piercing needles, all of them very close to rupturing his heart. With the mist fading away fast, he soon noticed that Rosalina and Diddy were also victims of the attack, having been impaled in the chest several times over. What he was not expecting, however, was the presence of an unharmed Mario and an injured Agnetha, the latter damaged by her own weapons.

"How did you-a like that?" Mario teased, forcing the cape, the sole reason why he was able to deflect the needles, back into his pocket.

"This is only an injury of no real consequence," Agnetha responded, ripping the poison-tipped needles out of her chest. "It will not stop me from killing all of you."

"We'll-a see about that."

A furious between plumber and captain ensued, with sword swings and fire raging across the castle roof. The others were forced to back away to the edges in order to avoid injury from either combatant, which was especially important to those that were deteriorating quickly.

"I can't… feel… my arms…" DK croaked, his strength starting to fail him.

"Hold on, buddy," the still-stable Diddy reassured. "Help is on the way." Not one to waste any time, he proceeded to contact Lillian via telepathy.

"I-a feel… like crap…" Wario weakly grunted, lying on his back.

"Yoshi can't… feel body…" the dinosaur squeaked.

"_Diddy?_" Lillian's voice was only heard in the smaller ape's mind. "_What is going on?_"

"Something is wrong with my cousin," Diddy mumbled. "Do you know what is happening to him?"

"_Yes; he and the others are affected by a fast-acting poison from Agnetha's needles called Röda Blodigel. I am currently working on a cure to save them from certain death._"

"Hold on, the needles that just struck me down are poisoned?"

"_I wish I could say otherwise. Now, the portal should be open up in just a few moments…_"

Diddy was both curious and frustrated upon hearing the comment. "Why can't you open it up now? That Agnetha lady is going to kill us all if we wait any longer."

"_Master Hand is still trying to pinpoint your location; the Mushroom World is such a vast area that it is going to be difficult for him to find you._"

"Fine. Just tell him to hurry up."

"_Okay._" As Lillian closed off communications, Mario was still dueling Agnetha to no success. The plumber's thrown fireballs were immediately shredded to pieces by the captain's blade, and his physical blows were dodged by her athletic prowess. His mind, negatively impacted by the still-lingering fatigue from the previous battle, was leading him to believe that the battle was continuing for long hours when it had only lasted for a few minutes. The fatigue was also causing his energy levels to fall out of normal ranges and into a very dangerous low point, which could be fatal in his current situation.

"Are you ready to give up now?" Agnetha giggled, taking note of Mario's weakened physical state.

"Why don't-a you answer your own question?" the plumber retaliated.

"Oh, Mario… What keeps driving your mind into believing that I will submit to you? You are even more of an arrogant fool than I first believed, stuck to the thought that you are better than the Lords. Well, I will show you that such bravado is punishable by death. Prepare to-"

Agnetha suddenly froze as a strange feeling was beginning to invade her stomach. While clenching the affected area tightly, her mind was initially boggled with confusion as she attempted to single out the cause of the sudden event. But it was not long before true horror dawned upon her.

Her poison was being used against her. And it was now eating away at her body.

"What's-a wrong, Agnetha? Is-a the poison getting to you?" Mario puffed. "Oh well… It's just-a going to-a make things a lot easier for me."

Tackling the poisoned swordswoman to the ground, Mario extended a hand towards the blade and yanked out of her now pain-infested hands, which were too fragile to even maintain a solid grip anymore. Then, utilizing nothing but raw strength, he proceeded to sever her right arm with surprising precision for one unfamiliar with using a sword.

_SHINK!_

A loud scream echoed across the landscape of Dark Land as black blood oozed out of the stump and poured onto the stone floor of the roof; it was something that was provoking feelings of both triumph and disgust in Mario, with the former arising from his successful attack and the latter created from the sight of the oozing blood. Also of noteworthy interest was the fact that the limb failed regenerate.

Hold on. If the limb was not regenerating, then it could only mean that Igel was somehow stopping Återuppliva from performing its duties…

"How…" the weakened captain sputtered. "How did you… stop my magic…?"

"Alright-a, Miss Lindgren; this is-a the end for you," Mario muttered. Conjuring a massive fireball in his free hand, he delivered to the captain a fiery death, complete with flames consuming her clothing. Such a scene brought sheer relief to the plumber; Agnetha would no longer threaten him or any of his allies, thus allowing the rest of the adventure to progress more smoothly, if only by a small amount. But said relief was instantly shattered when he noticed almost all of his allies, including the newly-acquired Rosalina and Bowser Junior, lying on the floor in a near-unconscious state due to the poison from Agnetha's needles.

"Mama!" the Luma shrieked, terrified by the sight of its unconscious guardian.

"This is-a terrible…" Mario whispered, shocked at the scene in front of him. He was about to approach his party, but a strange portal suddenly appeared off to his left. The portal itself contained an image of the Smash Mansion, which, by Mario's judgment, could only mean that this was the path back to the World of Trophies.

"_Mario,_" Lillian suddenly whispered, "_The portal is now open._"

"Good thing…" Mario whispered to himself. Not too long after the comment, Master Hand rushed out of the portal.

"Do you need some help, Mario?" the commentator asked, his voice filled with concern.

"Yes, I-a do," Mario sighed.

"Well, let me give you a hand. Literally." Master Hand swiftly scooped up all the poisoned fighters, who were now completely unconscious, and traveled alongside Mario and the Luma into the portal. Once again, the plumber was subjected to a screaming noise that nearly caused his ears to bleed and erratic motions that pushed him dangerously close to the point of complete nausea, but the screams present from last time were now absent. Once he was launched back into the front yard of the Smash Mansion, his body was instantly buried in snow, albeit for a very short time as he quickly hopped back into a standing position; within seconds, he proceeded to stroll into the mansion with the giant hand and the worried Luma. Inside, Lillian was standing in the main hall, waiting for Mario to arrive.

"Mario," she started. "I have the Vit Hjärta ready for your group. It is out in the medical wing of this mansion."

"Thanks-a, Lillian," the plumber responded, but he paused for a few seconds as the thought of his loved one entered his mind once more. The fear of Peach not surviving the adventure was rampant inside his mind; there was no choice but to ask the maiden about the princess's current status so that the fear could be quelled for now. The followed words exited his mouth:

"How is-a Peach?"

"She's still clinging to life," Lillian sighed, "But Falcon had reported to me that she may not survive what she is going through right now. He also told me that he wanted to apologize to you for what happened earlier, in person."

"Really…?" Mario was not sure if he still had a reason to be upset with Falcon anymore. In all seriousness, the fact that an apology was ready to be delivered to him seemed to provoke a slight sense of forgiveness. Maybe Falcon was not as responsible for the disaster as he initially believed.

"Of course, Mario. He wants you to know that he cares about her as much as you do."

Mario remained silent for another few seconds before answering. "Alright-a. As-a soon as he gets-a back, I'll-a let him give his apology. By the way, I was able to-a defeat Agnetha by using Igel against her."

"That's... interesting... Maybe this will be helpful information in the future..."

The plumber then proceeded towards the western segment of the mansion, which was where the medical area was located, but he was unable to take another step when Lillian's voice spoke to him again.

"And, Mario… Just to let know, Falco and Samus's groups arrived at this place before you did."

Mario let out a nod of acknowledgement before strolling away.

* * *

_Can't….. feel…. body…._

_-Yoshi_

* * *

**And that concludes Mario's theatre. Sorry if this chapter seems rushed in any way.**

**I kinda lied on revealing the cause of Peach's condition at this point in the story. That will actually be revealed in Captain Falcon's theatre. As for the mysterious man that we have originally seen in part one of this theatre, we'll learn more about what happened to him in the later chapters. **

**And did you know that this is my first chapter released on an odd-numbered month? Now, speaking of months, here is how I am going to pace myself for the rest of the story; I will be releasing at least one chapter per month so that I can be more consistent with the updates.**

**Whose theatre am I going to do next? That's up to you, the readers, to decide. Send me a message if you have any suggestions.**

**(EDIT: On second thought, I'm going to start on Falco's theatre next. The reasons: I want to keep Peach's exact condition hidden until the time is right, I do not have enough information about the older Fire Emblem games to get started on Marth's theatre, and I really haven't brainstormed any ideas for how Samus's theatre is going to turn out.)**


	8. Falco's Theatre: Part 1

Falco's Theatre (pt. 1): Trouble in Lylat

* * *

**Now let's see what Mister Lombardi and his guys are up to in the Lylat System. This is certainly going to be interesting…**

**Continuity-wise, I will follow the "Goodbye, Fox" ending from **_**Command**_**, but this theatre (and the majority of the story as a whole) will be set at time before Marcus McCloud (Fox's son) reaches adulthood.**

**Edit as of 6/19/2016: After looking at this chapter as of late, I find the Ozzy Osbourne inclusion to be a little too dumb for the story. As a result, I have changed the jukebox situation to include an in-universe version of the famous metal singer. As for the species, think of the in-universe equivalent as being a anthropomorphic porcupine with some of Ozzy's traits.**

* * *

_Lust is a twisted perversion of love…_

_It is the black rose that serves as a corrupted offshoot of its blood-red counterpart…_

_It is what drives certain men and women to commit actions that they would not do under usual circumstances…_

_It is one of the many factors that can lead up to a mental instability, especially for the souls already affected by a traumatizing or otherwise life-changing event…_

_Heinous exploitations have resulted from this deadly sin running rampant, uncontrolled by outside forces…_

_Sometimes, murder can also result…_

_Whereas love seeks to bring happiness to those involved in a relationship, lust only desires to bring satisfaction to those driven mad by it, with no regards to the people around them…_

* * *

The Great Fox, destined for the Lylat System, had zipped through the portal and was now floating in a vast world of celestial wonders. The grandiose scenery was one that could potentially overload an observer's mind; in fact, it was so intense on visual details that its appearance almost seemed unreal. Millions, if not billions, of stars dotted the area to coat the blackened background with sparkles of white. The large amount of nebulae present spanned across the entire visible spectrum, producing almost every known color possible. Asteroids near and far drifted across the infinite space as part of the endless march of the cosmos. Distant planets belonging to Lylat were also present, but their far fewer numbers resulted in them being mere specks in comparison to the rest of what mysterious intergalactic forces had provided. The sheer beauty of it all could be best personified as a lovely woman whose appearance could mesmerize almost anyone and, right now, most of the Smashers aboard the Great Fox were falling for her.

"This is truly amazing. I've never seen anything like this…" Popo, one of the two Ice Climbers, muttered. The young boy, now approaching his adolescent years, was recognizable by a blue parka designed to protect him from freezing weather. Strangely enough, at least to the other Smashers, he would almost never keep it separated from his body even when approaching warmer climates. His physiological growth, as per his aging, was marked by a slightly lower voice and a noticeably taller figure, making him seem less reminiscent of a younger child. Another interesting property to note was a wooden hammer in his left hand; this longtime personal tool of his was designed to break through ice and, if necessary, pummel foes.

"Tell me about it," Ness, a black-haired, black-eyed psychic from Eagleland, muttered. His attire consisted of a red hat turned to his right, a shirt with stripes alternating between blue and yellow, light blue shorts, ankle-length socks, and a pair of red, lace-ridden shoes. However, most of his clothes, excluding the cap, were noticeably larger to accommodate for his taller form; like Popo, he was undergoing a period of growth, but because he was now stuck within the earliest part of adulthood, his changes were significantly more drastic. To be more precise, Ness's height increase was at least twice as great as that of the young Eskimo's, maybe even more than that, and his voice was more noticeably lower. But even so, there was still a boyish tone to his words whenever he spoke. Meanwhile, his facial features exhibited more adult-like qualities, with one such example of this change being a more refined chin, and his torso had vanquished some of its previous chubbiness to form a leaner body. Such alterations to his once-childish appearance revealed the man that was already emerging from within.

Perhaps the only unchanged aspect was his backpack, that same old sack that still carried his most valued possessions even after years of use. There appeared to be no obvious wear and tear, something that stimulated Popo's curiosity upon his examination its surface. It was clear that whoever designed the thing used the sturdiest materials found in nature. However, this was overshadowed by a more stimulating thought inside his mind.

"I would to like revisit space after we prevent the Svärtad Orm from being reawakened," the male Eskimo, full of eagerness, resonated.

"Hey, you know what I've got from my friend, Jeff? He and his father are working on a rocket for space travel to Mars. It's still in the developmental stages, but it should be ready within the next few months. I've been invited to join the expedition."

"Wait, are you seriously going with them?"

"Yes, I am."

"That's pretty cool! Do you think you can take to Eagleland for this occasion?"

But with a tone of uncertainty, the psychic replied, "I need to ask Dr. Andonuts to see if he can allow you to enter the shuttle."

Popo's smile faded slightly upon hearing the comment, appropriately paired with lower expectations in his mind. "Oh… Well, let me know whenever he says-"

He was instantly silenced by a blast of loud music from a multicolored jukebox standing no more than a meter away. The sudden noise was, needless to say, so loud that it nearly caused Popo to leap into the ceiling.

* * *

_All aboard! Hahahahahahaha!_

* * *

"Alright," a higher-pitched voice yelped. "Who decided to blow our ears out with that noise?" Even in his momentarily shock, and through the music's noisy opening, Popo quickly recognized the voice as Nana's. The pink-clothed, hammer-wielding Ice Climber was his longtime companion, the strong bond between the two almost like that of a loving brother-sister duo. Like him, she was being transformed by the process of aging, though her gender was directing her down a significantly different path. Her voice's pitch was, for the most part, unchanged, but her body was being a morphed into a form that was drastically different from her previous appearance. There were a number of changes to be noticed by others around her, but perhaps the most obvious was the development of her breasts; such a sign was revealing her transformation from girl to woman.

"Okay," a nearby Falco snorted. "First off, I was the one who turned on the jukebox. Second of all, this is not noise. This is the legendary Spiky Osbourne performing his greatest song ever, "Crazy Train". If you don't like it, then boo hoo. You're gonna have to deal with it until we get to Venom."

As the avian allowed his body to stretch across his seat, a very distinct guitar riff sounded over the speakers to intensify the still-noisy music, much to the chagrin of the others. In fact, a few of them had to shield their ears to soften the condemning blow of the screaming volume.

"Dear Arceus, I have never heard a piece of music so ear-piercing…" the Aura Pokémon, Lucario, telepathically muttered. The jackal-like creature was recognizable by its sharp, visually distinct fur pattern, with blues, blacks, and even grays arranged into an appearance like no other. The back of its paw-like hands were decorated with spikes that extended no more than a few centimeters from the center area, contributing to the seemingly fierce aura of its appearance. The eyes possessed a red coloring that would be momentarily replaced by a golden hue when Lucario's ability to sense Aura energy was active. Its ears were erect, as if though they were perpetually stuck in a state of constant vigilance. Its mouth never appeared to move when speaking, but its voice was able to be heard via telepathy, a trait that only a handful of Pokémon possessed.

* * *

_Crazy, but that's how it goes_

_Millions of people living as foes_

_Maybe it's not too late_

_To learn how to love_

_And forget how to hate_

* * *

By this point, Falco was now rocking his head back and forth to the tempo one of his favorite songs, allowing every note and beat to stimulate his excitement. It was a shame that the others could not share his love for classical metal. Otherwise, they would also be subdued by the sheer awesomeness of the song. But no matter; this would be all the excitement he needed on the way to Venom.

* * *

_Mental wounds not healing_

_Life's a bitter shame_

_I'm going off the rails of a crazy train_

_I'm going off the rails of a crazy train_

* * *

"Oh man," Sonic, the fastest blue hedgehog alive, groaned to himself. "I need to get my ears checked once we get back to the Smash Mansion."

* * *

Horror.

Horror.

Horror.

That was the only word that echoed throughout his mind.

Complete ruin had manifested itself in the form of a completely annihilated city, right in front of his eyes. Skyscrapers suffered the full brunt of the catastrophe; while most were still standing, they were absolutely stripped down to the bare fundamental structures required to avoid collapsing under their own weight. Pieces of shattered glass littered the abandoned streets like fallen hail, their numbers present in millions. They were not necessarily a serious threat, since most of them were too small to inflict any sort of real damage. His boots were also contributing to the lowered risk levels, being tough enough to withstand most sharp objects. Back to the scenery, many excessively damaged vehicles were flipped over, while others were crushed against nearby buildings. Due to a power failure, there were no lights to illuminate the area, which was still darkened by the early morning's heavy clouds.

But the one thing that truly chilled his mind was the fact that he was all alone. To his knowledge, there was no one else in this decimated area; most of the citizens of this place were, to his horror, swallowed by the wave of destruction. Just simply acknowledging the fact rendered him a nervous frog.

A gulping noise was the only sound that zipped out of Slippy Toad's mouth. The blue-eyed amphibian was renowned for his work as Star Fox's top-notch engineer, even if he was on the clumsy side when doing just about anything. His attire consisted of an engineer's suit with predominantly yellow overtones, black gloves and shoes, and a personal red-and-white cap that he had owned even before joining the ranks of Star Fox. Another noticeable property of his was the often-optimistic personality of his; even during bleak moments in wars, he would push out comments that calmed tension-ridden nerves. Being a recognizable foil to the more pessimistic Falco as well as others like the avian, losing hope was rarely on his mind. No matter what, he was always envisioning a brighter outcome to many situations.

However, he could not detect a reason to be even slightly cheery in this period of time; as his search dragged on for depressing hours, his hopes started to fade away. How was he even going to locate a survivor if the chances of surviving the terrible disaster were near-impossible? Maybe it was better for him to abandon the search and return to his friend's place, located several kilometers away. He was starting to become exhausted anyway, physically and mentally.

"Ah, what's the point?" he muttered.

* * *

Falco's selected song was still ringing across the Great Fox's bridge at extreme volumes. By now, the other Smashers on-board were beginning to develop an extreme intolerance for what they deemed to be pure noise.

* * *

_I've listened to preachers _

_I've listened to fools _

_I've watched all the dropouts _

_Who make their own rules _

_One person conditioned to rule and control _

_The media sells it and you live the role_

* * *

"Beep beep beep!" the black, two-dimensional figure known as Mr. Game &amp; Watch beeped. The pitch of his beeps seemed to indicate an irritable tone, mainly as a natural stimulus to the monster of a noisy song. They would have been interpreted as an order to shut the music off, or least reduce the volume to where ears could no longer be shaken. But Falco had no intention to listen, for his mind was still focused on the song's rhythm. Or maybe, as some of the others would put it, he had gone deaf from constant exposure to loudness; it was difficult to tell. Regardless, all protests, even those from the telepathic Lucario, were ignored completely. The fast-paced song was a drug that rendered the avian a definite addict, with absolutely no resistance on his part simply due to pure excitement. Nothing would ruin his fun now…

* * *

_Mental wounds still screaming _

_Driving me insane _

_I'm going off the rails on a crazy train _

_I'm going off the rails on a crazy train_

* * *

"-alco! FALCO! Can you hear me?"

A high-pitched voice, one that wielded enough power to overwhelm the music, suddenly dragged the ace pilot out of his entranced state.

Hold on.

A high-pitched voice…?

To his knowledge, only Nana was capable of speaking in a higher tone. But the new speaker was more… masculine in character. This sort of voice was not present in his group of Smashers, so someone else was currently speaking. And surely enough, the answer revealed itself in the form of Slippy's face on the main screen. Falco stared at the screen, only to have annoyance accumulate inside his mind.

_That toad better have something important to tell me, or I will have wasted my time for something stupid_, he pondered. Against his own desires, and much to the relief of the others, Falco had the music temporarily disabled for the sake of auditory clarity.

"Alright, Slip," he angrily grunted. "What the hell do you want?"

"Okay," Slippy mumbled, the worried expression on his face growing tighter with every passing second. "Peppy and I were in Corneria City doing our everyday activities like, you know, we always do until Peppy called me a few days ago. He said that he was receiving some odd signal on his threat-detecting radar and wanted me to come to his place. So I did what he asked me to do. When I made it, he tried to pull up an image of the incoming threat, but there was some strange interference that suddenly came out of nowhere and-"

"Wait. Where was that interference coming from?"

"No idea. But anyway, Peppy wanted me to find its source as soon as possible. I was about to put my engineering skills to the test when I noticed a faint blue sphere soaring across the sky at Arwing-level speeds; seriously, it was real fast. It then reached the city and then… And then…"

"And then what? Just get on with it, Slippy."

During the next couple of seconds, Slippy was unable to speak for reasons not yet identified. His face and body were completely paralyzed by what appeared to be a mental trauma from witnessing something very disturbing. Drops of sweat were starting to dampen his already moist skin and vibrations, although subtle at first, rocked his body like an earthquake. His wide jaw was undergoing a gradual plunge that appeared to be very deliberate in character. While the other Smashers curiously stared on, Falco's fast-increasing impatience forced him to overlook the aforementioned details in favor of his fellow Star Fox member's complete response.

"Slip, are you gonna answer or what-"

"OH, IT WAS TERRIBLE!" the toad suddenly shrieked, his voice suddenly cracking. "The blue thing just exploded, and it completely wiped out the entire city! We barely managed to escape the explosion by fleeing into an underground shelter for nuclear strikes or anything of a serious nature, but when we were able to safely emerge afterwards… Oh, it was so freaking terrible!"

Falco was left immobilized by the comment, allowing it to sink into his mind. The mentioning of a city-busting object troubled him greatly, which was unusual for a nonchalant being like him. That thing must have originated from somewhere; it was surely ridiculous to believe that something that powerful would appear out of the blue. And another thing, there must have been a reason why a powerful weapon would be directed at Cornerian lands. It was possible that the remains of Andross's army were responsible for the attack due to their anti-Cornerian motives, but they were defeated during the Aparoid invasion, right? Considering the heavy amount of casualties they had suffered, there was almost no way for them to be unleashing something of mass destruction upon a well-defended city. The Anglar and Aparoid races also could not be responsible for the destruction, as they were wiped out years ago. But then, who would so desire to attack a peaceful place…

The Orm's Lords suddenly come to the pilot's mind. Given their ambitious mission, they were the most plausible candidates to force the blame on. But there was not enough evidence to support to his claim, so he would have to investigate Corneria City to find out.

"Alright," he finally puffed. "So what do you want me to do?"

Slippy slowed down his breathing to relax his mental state before continuing. "Okay, Falco. I need you to meet me in Corneria City as soon as possible. I will be at the Peppy's place, and Peppy himself will be there too."

"Gotcha. I'll see you later."

Moments after the main screen regressed back into its blank appearance, Falco could not help but feel slightly irritated. This recent turn of events would slow down his search for the staff piece on Venom, which could give the Lords a chance to ruin his group's mission and drift one step closer to the success of their plans. But at the same time, he was not the type of person to completely abandon his teammates. Sure, it was true that he had gone solo several times before, but at least he always returned when things started to go south for the others. And he sure as hell was not going to turn down this offer, even if Slippy was on the more annoying side.

"So," Lucario muttered, having overheard the conversation, "We must help the toad with his situation…"

"And you're correct, pal," the bird replied. "Even if Slippy is a pain in the ass sometimes, I would do anything in my power to help him and the other members of Star Fox."

"Now let's give a helping hand to the guy, shall we?" Sonic interjected.

In a matter of seconds, Falco accessed the navigational computer to alter the Great Fox's route.

* * *

Nearly an hour after the Smashers' departure, Lillian wandered into the main hall alone. Her eyes caught the sight of light rays pouring from the eastern windows like a waterfall that was both intangible and very still. No doubt, the morning sun was now rising over the crisp forest to bring illumination to an otherwise dark world, and it was also dispelling the macabre elements of the mansion's nighttime state. But despite the newfound comfort surrounding her body, a hint of worry was still glued onto her mind. With the Lords lurking in almost every known realm, it was possible that they were already approaching the location of each piece; in fact, it could already be too late for the Smashers to retrieve them in time.

But, why was she allowing herself to fall into a pessimistic viewpoint? To her knowledge, the Lords still had no clue where the exact resting places were, and, more importantly, they were also unaware of her current location. The latter fact was an especially good thing, because if they captured her, then there was no telling how serious the subsequent disaster would be. Master Hand appeared to have the power to protect her, but whether or not said power was enough to battle the Lords remained unseen. For now, the only thing available for her to do was to keep her hopes high, for the sake of her endangered people and for the sake of the realms.

Traveling up the main stairway, silent taps accompanied her every step. The environment was suitable for long-lasting echoes to repeat almost continuously, as if someone else was mimicking her actions. In fact, were it not for her attentive mind, she would have fallen for the auditory illusion. One left turn later, she found herself to be on the second level of the hall, separated from the ground elevation by a few meters. Doors were littered across the four walls, each one featuring fancy, brightly-colored details; the one closest to her featured shades of water, gold, and blood.

"I wonder where this doorway leads to…?" she whispered, her Scandinavian accent still present in her speech. Pushing the golden handle down and pulling the door open, a slight rush of air forced her light blonde hair to flow for a second before all was normal again. But this event had gone unnoticed as her mind was focused on the scenery in front of her; in front of her was an elegant hallway filled with chandeliers, lights stuck to the wall, massive windows, decorated carpentry, and numerous wooden doors leading to rooms of some sort. The Victorian-era beauty was still unraveling, as Lillian had led herself to believe, and it was unlikely to stop doing so in the near future. Closing the door behind her, she slowly trudged across one of the mansion's many hallways, only to notice symbols on each of the doors.

"What is this?" she muttered. Approaching the first door, her eyes were presented with a door printed with a red mushroom-like symbol. Oval-shaped eyes and dots on the cap were present, two things that were not present on the mushrooms in any realm other than Mario's. No doubt, with her knowledge of the Smashers now being considerably strong, thanks to her ability to identify others with a telepathic connection, this room was likely associated with Mario. The next door was nearly identical to the first, except that the symbol here was green instead of red. This had to be a room for another one of the Mushroom Kingdom's inhabitants, most likely Luigi.

"These doors must lead to bedrooms," she pondered. Passing through each bedroom, the hallway suddenly became repetitious as doors, embedded with a symbol based on the occupant's universe, were passed by in seconds. A left turn prevented monotony from setting in, but this was not enough to prevent another round of doors from appearing. However, what really caught her attention was the presence of a darkened stairway beyond the last door.

"What is up there?" she asked herself. But before she could take one more step, she noticed a hand-shaped shadow off to her left side. Slowly twisting her head, she was slapped in the face with a sudden image of Master Hand, causing her to leap back and nearly lose her usually-stable footing in surprise. The shock of it all was nearly enough to warrant a sudden heart attack, in both a literal and figurative sense.

"Oh, my apologies, Lillian," Master Hand puffed, worried about the maiden. "I didn't mean to scare you like that. I was just seeing if you were getting lost."

"I'll be fine, Master Hand," she replied. "But, I would to examine this place in further detail. I have not seen a realm like this before, much less a mansion meant for housing some of the strongest warriors in all of the realms."

"Well, I'll give you a short tour of this place. That way, you will be more familiar with what's in here."

"Okay."

Wasting no time at all, Master Hand proceeded to guide Lillian throughout the mansion…

* * *

_Somewhere in Cornerian airspace, approximately a half-hour earlier…_

The Great Fox was quickly engulfed in a field of intense heat as it plunged into Corneria's atmosphere. Slight vibrations rattled the mother ship's foundation, with all those inside being slightly shifted in random directions against their own will. Reactions to the entire event were mixed, so to speak. Falco, as usual, was coolheaded and kept any traces of nervousness suppressed. Lucario appeared to be unreactive, as if it was actually expecting all this to occur. Mr. Game &amp; Watch stiffened his body, waiting for whatever event was next. Both Ice Climbers gently held hands, also awaiting the inevitable. Ness was patiently standing still, undeterred by the shaking or the ominous appearance of the heat. Lucas, the timid, light-haired PSI user without a family, was stammering out of fright. Even though he was five years older, the childhood-born shadow of fear just could not keep away from him; if a closer observation were to be performed, it might be considered that it was nearly one and the same with his mind. And finally, Sonic was revealing a smirk of excitement, not because of the upcoming adventure on the victimized planet, but simply because of the high speeds of the ship. If anything, speed truly was his passion, one of the few reasons why he chose to live.

"Okay, guys," Falco called. "Brace yourselves."

Immediately after the ace pilot's announcement, the Great Fox was impacted by a gust of wind that dispelled all heat from the surface. Shades of red and orange were displaced by greens, blues, and dull grays. The violent shaking ceased as a new tranquility flooded the ship's foundation, much to the relief of Lucas and Mr. Game &amp; Watch. A life-filled world surrounded the Smashers as they drifted below the stratosphere, and it was certainly the type of scenery to gawk at. Everything was serene in appearance, with nothing unusual or disastrous in the area. However, as Falco's mind was quick to point out, that was only because the group was not within Corneria City's boundaries.

"Nothing seems to be wrong here," the observant Ness squeaked.

"Just wait, Ness," Falco snorted. "You're about to enter a newly created hellhole."

The vehicle continued to drift across gentle waters and lush greens, down the very same path that the Star Fox team took during Andross's insurrection. Even with continuous aging, the trail seemed unaltered. If there was any sort of change, it was either nonexistent or very subtle. At least, that was what Falco believed.

"I'm surprised that this trail hasn't changed at all," he mumbled to himself. As per his animalistic kin, his eyes were very attentive, searching for any sort of changes. But nothing was around to prove his statement wrong, which was heightened by the fact that his memories of the Lylat crisis were still alive and breathing.

"Hold on," Sonic suddenly gasped, "What's up with the burnt coloring ahead?"

Passing up the last strip of green, Falco and his partners were now veering into a horribly burnt land of ruin. With the flora completely reduced to ashes, the now-barren earth was coated with a layer of black. Compared to the greener environment from before, this new color was even not natural to begin with. Instead, it was an indicator that something terrible had befallen upon Cornerian soil, with the "something" being the explosive from some time ago. Trees, once present in decent numbers, were entirely absent. Several nearby buildings were reduced to their plain metallic foundations, while others were missing large portions of their overall areas. Pieces of rubble, such as concrete bits and vehicles damaged beyond repair, were scattered across the ground by the thousands.

"This is horrible…" Popo whimpered, doing an almost-perfect imitation of Falco's initial reaction from years past. Even though he was no stranger to decimated areas because of his experiences with village-busting avalanches, the absolute destruction of Corneria's capital city was, in his opinion, much uglier than any other incident of such a high magnitude. The colors alone provided a nastier overtone than what most past disasters had offered, and the amount of rubble only increased the messiness of it all. Overall, this hellish mess was so terrible to the point where it nearly seemed unreal to him.

"Lucario, can you check for any signs of life?" Falco asked.

"I will check," the jackal-like Pokémon answered. Tapping in its Aura-sensing abilities, its vision was swallowed by a dull monochrome dotted with the blueish outlines of each Smasher present. The world around it was very empty, as traces of life were close to nonexistent, assuming that the Smashers were not counted. Even as stared at every direction possible, nothing appeared to be detectable in the slightest. Lucario was fully aware that its range for sensing Aura was limited, with it being unable to reach absurd distances, but the lack of non-Smasher traces was especially disturbing. If there was no other life in the area, then…

"Falco, I am afraid that we are alone for the moment. We should get closer to the interior of the city if we are to find any other beings nearby. But…"

"What do ya mean by "but"?" Falco interrupted.

"There is a possibility that we may not see any survivors aside from your comrades. The people that used to live in this area are either further away or…"

"Obliterated?" Sonic finished.

"I wish I could say otherwise, Sonic."

The Great Fox drifted deeper into the wasteland of steel and rubble, with the amount of damage increasing with every meter traveled. By the time it reached the downtown sector, all of its occupants were overwhelmed by the apex of the new horror surrounding them. With skyscrapers barely standing, darkness overshadowing the streets, no living beings nearby, and heavy wreckage in most areas, the once-prosperous city now resembled a larger, more futuristic version of Chernobyl, a town deserted in the aftermath of a nuclear disaster.

"Whoever did this must be one sick bastard…" Falco snarled. Just then, Slippy's face reappeared on the main screen.

"Falco," he mumbled, "Are you in Corneria City yet?"

"Yeah, Slip," was the pheasant's response. "Can you send me the coordinates to your location? I'm gonna have a hard time finding Peppy's place in all this rubble."

"Sure thing, Falco. I'll get the beacon ready in a second."

Not long after Slippy vanished from the monitor, a map of Corneria's most populous city revealed itself to the Smashers. The map itself was very detailed, as per numerous innovations in technology. Not only was it decorated with the names of all major buildings, roads, and other noteworthy locations, but it also revealed the Great Fox's exact coordinates in the form of a blinking white dot. Combined with other minor features, it was far more advanced than most other maps of its time.

"I wonder where Slippy is at…" Ness sighed.

"Right here," Falco chirped, pointing at a newly-formed orange dot on the map. It appeared to be set at a moderate distance away from the group's location, but the Great Fox's speed would be able to bring the group there in a few minutes, as Falco himself believed.

"Hopefully, nothing bad shows up when we arrive," Sonic added, his nervousness provoked by the decaying scenery.

"And what do you mean by-" Popo started, only to be cut off mid-sentence.

"Well, it's possible that whoever caused this mess could still be in the area. And that person, no, _group_ could be the Orm's Lords that Lillian warned us about."

"Well, I don't see anyone else in the area aside from Slippy," Falco spat, his eyes locked on a nearby radar.

"He is right," Lucario whispered, still seeking out whatever Aura was present. "There is no other trace of life here."

The hedgehog shuffled his feet around. "Well, I'm just sayin'. I could be wrong, though."

The approach to Slippy's location was a short one, but it was not without additional images of absolute ruin. As the total amount of damage was slowly revealed, even Falco could not help but admit that the chances of anyone surviving the recent disaster was extremely low, if not outright impossible. Worse yet, Slippy's mentioning of electronic interference imposed even more chills; if the explosive's electromagnetic wave was powerful enough to disrupt even the most advanced of equipment, then any attempt to alert the entire populace would have been out of the question. Lucario's attempts to find survivors were yielding no results and the radar on the Great Fox's main panel revealed nothing, which only solidified the Smashers' fears. Questions shot through the minds of all as they stared at the mess:

_Who would be evil enough to attack this place? What did the city do to deserve such a cruel fate?_

As the Great Fox approached the beacon's origin, it slowly removed all forward momentum from its frame. The resulting jerk was enough to knock the Smashers out of their confused mental states.

"Okay, guys," Falco announced, lowering the ship to the ground. "Let's get this show on the road."

Exiting the ship via the hangar, a grounded view of the ruined city awaited the Smashers. This new perspective appeared to be no better than the aerial view; in fact, witnessing the city's decimated state here was even more unbearable because the hideous details were now far more visible. Pieces of glass tainted the ground, some even having the potential to cut through skin, especially for shoeless ones like Lucario. Besides the shards, the ground possessed a burnt appearance from the explosion's intense heat. The rest of the scenery was, needless to say, still horrific in character.

"Alright, that toad's gotta be around here somewhere…" Falco muttered. But no sooner had he spoken than the temporarily-relieved Slippy emerged from the remains of Peppy's residence.

"Oh, thank goodness you're here, Falco," he sputtered. "Peppy and I need your immediate assistance and… Wait, who are these guys?"

Falco realized that Slippy was referring to the other Smashers. "Oh, you mean the guys behind me? They're a couple of my fellow partners in the Smash Brothers organization."

"You mean that famous fighting group with characters from numerous universes?"

"Yep."

"I'm Ness," the Eaglelander spoke up.

"…Lucas," the orphaned one muttered.

"I am Lucario, the Aura Pokémon," the jackal-like creature added.

"Sonic's the name," the hedgehog interjected.

"I'm Popo," the male Ice Climber chirped. "And with me here is Nana."

"Beep!" Mr. Game &amp; Watch beeped. Slippy was then about to address his problem to the avian, but he stopped upon noticing that someone recognizable was missing.

"Hey, Falco?" he asked. "Where's Fox?"

"He's with Samus on Tallon IV," Falco responded. "Now, what do you want from us?"

"Peppy will explain the whole situation to you guys once we're inside."

Following the clumsy toad, Falco and his group were directed towards a three-floor building with faded red coloring. Like all the rest, this one suffered heavy damage, but the better reinforcement of its structure meant that it was able to remain intact at the very least. Most of the windows were damaged, but some were still shielded by a couple of now-unstable blast doors. The main doorway was standing strong, but the explosion's extreme power had caused much of its sleek appearance to deteriorate greatly; to be more precise, the previous coloring had eroded to reveal a blackish-red coloring while the frames of each door appeared to be uneven, most likely due to the explosion's extreme force. Approaching the entrance, the Smashers were harboring eagerness in their hearts, waiting for everything to be revealed by Peppy.

"This situation better be worth my time," Falco puffed.

"Trust me, Falco," Slippy squeaked. "It will be."

* * *

_Somewhere in Downtown Corneria City…_

Silence tore through the air, but it was not of the peaceful kind. No, this was the type that would always appear in the aftermath of a terrible event, such as the one that impacted this innocent place days ago. The quiet wind provided a sound that was capable of chilling spines, perhaps to the point of provoking nervousness. Everything was still. No one was out on the darkened streets…

…except for one man.

The figure was dressed with a black robe, with a red serpent-like symbol on the front. This sort of clothing was identical to Agnetha's, but the man underneath was a different matter altogether. His face was mostly obscured, but enough of it was exposed so as to allow others to identify his elderly age. The facial hair present was long and colorless, as was the hair on his scalp. Though not very noticeable, wrinkles were present to emphasize the number of years he had lived through.

"_Now is the time__…_" he hissed, witnessing the lack of living beings. "_What I do next__ will certainly be useful for my intents…_"

After raising it into the air, he slammed his left hand into the ground, slightly damaging the already-beaten ground in the process. An ominous glow of purple, one of the usual indicators of dark magic, slowly crawled across the streets like a ripple of water. The sky, somehow corrupted by this foreign magic, transformed into a blackened incarnation of itself.

"_Arise, my servants…_ _Arise and become one…"_

* * *

_Shit... I just don't know who would have the guts to bomb this place. But whoever this person is, I'm gonna kick his ass whenever I find him, even if that someone is a member of the Orm's Lords that Lillian warned me about._

_-Falco Lombardi_

* * *

**Uh oh. It looks like the unknown man has something nasty in storage, and Falco's group isn't even aware of it…**

**(_Also, how did Falco get his hands on Ozzy Osbourne's music, even though he's not from Earth? We may never know, folks._) Note: This no longer applies to the story.**

**We'll find out about Peppy and Slippy's request (and about what the man is doing) in part 2. **

**Addendum: I would like to wish all you readers a fabulous new year.**


	9. Falco's Theatre: Part 2

Falco's Theatre (pt.2): The Investigation

* * *

**Falco's group is about to dive headfirst into the search for the staff piece on Venom. Let's see how things turn out.**

* * *

_Revenge…_

_It represents the lack of forgiveness within one's soul…_

_It is symbolic of hatred for specific persons…_

_While some reasons for committing this act are justified by plausible conditions, most of them are not…_

_When this motive's fire burns out of control, a furious desire to step outside of society's boundaries will take control of the vengeance-seeker's mind…_

_It can cause havoc in very severe cases..._

_It is the reason why the mad scientist Andross lashed out against Corneria…_

_Revenge he sought, ruin was brought to Lylat and the life of James McCloud was lost forever…_

* * *

Inside the remains of Peppy's secondary residence, Falco and his group, guided by Slippy, were now standing inside a hi-tech, chrome-colored room filled with computers and monitors of varying sizes. All the equipment present was created for the purpose of keeping a vigilant eye on the Lylat System's activity, as Falco so deducted, seeking out anything suspicious or threatening. It was all for simply keeping the peace. The room would have been bustling with computer lights, had the explosion-triggered power failure not occurred; right now, a backup power supply was keeping only the primary monitor, seated at the far wall, active. Perhaps due to a tremor accompanying the blast, some of the monitors had toppled over and taken serious damage. Unlike the rest of the area, there were no windows to grace this room with views of the outside world.

"Alright, Slippy," Falco spat, letting loose a small cough in the process. "Where's Peppy?"

"He should be here in a couple of seconds," the toad answered. But as soon as he had stopped speaking, Peppy Hare, the most recent in a line of Cornerian Army generals, quickly stepped in from the room's only door. As the Smashers, not counting Falco, stared at him, they came to realize that the sole surviving member of the first Star Fox team seemed quite different from his earlier days as an Arwing pilot; they were, as a side note, exposed to his younger appearance thanks to Fox showing several photos to them when recalling his earlier adventures. For one thing, he was further into elderly age, with his appearance marked by graying fur, longer facial hair, floppier ears, and facial features that were slightly less defined. His voice had also been affected by the continuous cycle of ageing, now possessing a gruffer tone that traveled along with every word spoken. His attire, representing his strong authority in Corneria's military, was drastically different from what he had adorned during his Star Fox years. Replacing the old, tan-colored uniform was a bright red uniform with sharp, gold-coated details on the upper half and dark brown boots on his feet.

"Okay, Peppy," Falco snorted in a sarcastically interested tone of voice. "What's the problem?"

"You don't sound too excited for this task," Peppy grunted. "But I digress. Now, six days before you and your group arrived here, I received a strange audio message from an unidentified source. While I was initially unsure on how to respond to this, I decided to play whatever the sender had to say and see if it was dangerous or not. What I got was something that reeked of ominousness.

"Who was the guy, and what did he say?"

"I am still not sure who the caller is, but the only words that he said were this…"

With the touch of several buttons, Peppy guided the main screen towards what many would identify as an inbox of messages, very similar to an email account. The second newest message, dated six days ago, was highlighted and opened at the speed of a modern-day vehicle, revealing an audio clip that had yet to be played. With the final button press, a clear voice filled with sinister overtones crawled out of the room's undamaged speakers to shoot chills down spines. It hissed the following words:

"_Give it to us…_ _Give it to us… __Give the piece to us or your city will perish… __You will not stop us from reviving our savior…_"

"What the hell?" Falco gasped.

"Is something wrong, Falco?" Ness asked.

"I wish could say otherwise, but the Orm's Lords have something to do with this mess."

"Wait, the Orm's what now?" the general muttered, not fully comprehending the wingman's comment.

"The Orm's Lords. They're the bastards that are looking for the pieces of this artifact called the Staff of Björn. This staff is responsible for sealing away the Svärtad Orm, a monster that brought destruction to all of the realms in ancient times. What the Lords want to do is that they want to reunite the pieces of the staff so they can revive that thing. And it turns out that one of those pieces is in this solar system, at Venom. We need to gather the pieces so that we can keep the Lords from achieving their goals."

"And who told you all this?"

Before Falco could continue, Sonic stepped up to answer the elderly rabbit's question. "A mysterious woman from another world named Lillian Åkerfeldt told us all the information."

"A woman from another dimension... Wait, before I go on, what's your name?"

"Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog."

"Alright Sonic, I'll try to keep your name in mind; Slippy's already told me your names, but pardon me if I start to become forgetful. Now, did the woman appear to be trustworthy? I mean, she could just be using you all to fulfill a dastardly plot."

"Well, I didn't see anything suspicious about her and neither did anyone else, so… yes?"

"Hmm. Now, back to what I was saying. After I played the message, I revealed this to a few of my most trusted subordinates, but none of them had any clue as to who the sender was or what it was doing in our database in the first place. Some of them attempted to triangulate the sender's position, but they got no results. Then, three days after, another message came to us and, yes, it was from the same sender. This time, the person said this…"

Peppy selected the very first message on the inbox, this one dated three days ago, and played the voice recording inside of it. Once again, the haunting, bone-rattling voice echoed throughout the damaged room, this time croaking these words:

"_You have failed to satisfy our demands… __Now, you and your city will burn in the fires of destruction…_"

"And that was when the Lords launched an explosive of extreme power to this place…" Lucario muttered to itself.

"Immediately after the message," the rabbit continued, "I noticed a large red blip on the Lylat System's map, followed by one on the shorter-ranged radar. The blips were moving at a shockingly fast pace, which definitely provoked me into calling on the Cornerian Army to checking out the possible threat. Slippy was also summoned to this location, if he hadn't told you yet. But just when I was about to pull up an image of the object via satellite imaging, a strange interference suddenly caused all electronic equipment to be disabled momentarily. I had to personally send out a team of engineers, Slippy included, to pinpoint the problem's source, which was supposedly coming from the facility's main generator. They were working as fast as they could, but…"

"What happened next?" Ness asked, even though his mind already knew the answer to begin with.

"The bomb had already reached the very center of the city and detonated. Immediately, I told some of my men to shut the blast doors manually, but sadly, there wasn't enough time to completely shield all windows before the wave of destruction reached us. As you can see, this building is quite reinforced; it can withstand lots of things. But that wasn't enough to stop the wave from inflicting damage, especially with windows open and heavy rubble pounding this place like hail."

"After the blast," Slippy squeaked, "Peppy sent me out to search for possible survivors. With all the important equipment I had managed to save, I searched large portions of the city at a time to make sure that we weren't the only ones left. During that time, I had salvaged some equipment to create an emergency beacon as well as a makeshift broadcasting tower for communication purposes. Unfortunately, what I had gathered was below-average, to say at the very least; besides the lack of better parts, the tower and beacon had very low effective range due to damage. Thus, we could not contact anyone outside our sector of Lylat. I would have given up if you hadn't veered into the tower's range about a few hours ago."

"Due to the aforementioned problem," Peppy added, now staring at Falco, "We were also unable to broadcast an interdimensional message to you and Fox. You were at the Smash Mansion, correct?"

"Yep," the avian replied, wiping his bill. "We were outside this realm at the time. And did you know that Fox isn't here?"

"Slippy already informed me about that."

Falco cracked his knuckles very slowly before continuing. "Okay. So, now what do you want us to do?"

The elderly rabbit coughed before revealing Falco's assignment. "I need you to investigate the source of the explosive. According to the blip on the map, it is somewhere close to Macbeth."

"Okay; I'll lead my group the Macbeth and I'll make sure that the bastards behind this mess don't cause any more trouble."

With a physical gesture, Falco directed his group out of the main room and into one of the third floor's darkened hallways. But he was no more than four meters from the door when he noticed a dark purple glow creeping out of a broken window.

"What the…?" he gasped, slowly stumbling towards the light's source.

"Beep?" Mr. Game &amp; Watch chirped.

"A purple glow," Popo muttered. "That's not normal in this realm, isn't it?"

"Nope," the expert pilot grunted. While at the window, a very disturbing sight was unraveling right in front of him. The midday sky was coated in a sinister of shade of purple, something that would not happen in everyday life on Corneria. This coloring darkened the already light-deprived area and presented an even uglier view of the wreckage that was once a prosperous city; in fact, the colors were warped to more hideous versions of themselves. And the way the sky itself was tinted…

It was as if a malicious force was crawling over the planet's normally serene skies.

But worse still was the presence of robed figures, spreading across the streets by the hundreds. The darker lighting made it difficult for Falco and his fellow Smashers to observe them properly, but that did not prevent them from gathering the general details of each member. The figures were dressed in blackened robes with white symbols, with the robes themselves concealing all details of each person underneath. The universal symbol consisted of a serpent with the head facing upwards, as if it was staring at the demonic skies above, longing for the darkness. The density of the crowd seemed to create a pool of black that oozed through each of the streets like a lava flow. And to make matters worse, parts of the crowd were very close to where the Great Fox was parked at. Meanwhile, the other Smashers approached the window, only to be struck with the same feeling of disturbance that overcame their group leader.

"Damn," Falco grunted. "Now we can't get to the Great Fox without the Lords seeing us."

"Well, why can't we just fight them?" Nana squeaked.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Lucas whimpered. "Do you see how many of them there are? They'll simply overwhelm us if we try to attack them."

"Lucas is right," Lucario whispered, its Aura-sensing powers actively sweeping the area. Nothing but red coloring was filling up its dulled vision. "Their numbers are exceeding the thousands."

"And then, there's the fact that we don't know their weaknesses," Falco added. "Speaking of which, I need to get a hold of Lillian for this."

After pressing against the right side of his headgear, the expert pilot waited for the maiden's voice to echo in his head. As he did so, Peppy and Slippy stepped out of the main room to find the Smashers still within the building's somewhat isolated confines.

"Hey, Falco," Slippy called in a rather loud tone of voice, oblivious to the situation outside. "Aren't you going to find the source of the-"

"Shh!" Sonic interrupted, fearing that Slippy might draw unwarranted attention. "They might hear you…!"

"Who are you talking about?" Peppy grumbled.

"The Orm's Lords," Lucario answered. "They are swarming into the city in great numbers. Look through the window here, and you will understand what I am saying."

At the Pokémon's request, the two Star Fox veterans strolled towards the broken window. Like the Smashers before them, their reactions to the ruined city's new imagery were nothing short of pure shock. Besides leaping backwards, Slippy nearly yelled at the sight of the Lords but managed to restrain himself before natural instinct took over. He had hoped that things would not get any worse after the city's horrific bombing; being completely serious in every possible way, the bombing alone was terrifying enough. But fate was now here, not only to deny him of his wish but to rain more hell onto the beaten streets. Peppy was also bewildered, but to a far lesser extent.

"What's up with the robed guys out on the streets?" the general asked.

"Those are the Lords that Falco mentioned earlier," Popo spoke. "But, now that I'm looking at this whole thing, I wonder how so many of them were able to get here in a short amount of time. I mean, one minute, we're all alone in this area. And then, the next one sees us surrounded by these guys."

"Maybe they use portals to get around the realms," Sonic muttered.

"That might explain their earlier presence, but still… There's just something about off about this group's sheer size. Also, why have they come back here? I'm pretty sure they've caused enough damage already."

"They still don't know where the staff piece is at," Ness whispered, hoping that the robed figures would not hear him. "For all we know, they might be thinking that it's on this planet."

"_Falco,_" Lillian's gentle voice reverberated, "_What do you want?_"

"Hey," Falco chirped. "Do you know how to put the Lords down? My group is being surrounded by these guys right now."

"_Yes. The Lords are using a spell called "Återuppliva". Not only does it give them boosted strength, but it also allows for advanced regenerative abilities. They can survive for injuries that would kill a normal being, but there are two things that the spell cannot withstand: burning and dismemberment. Burning disrupts cellular regeneration and Återuppliva itself cannot regenerate full body parts, such as limbs._"

"Gotcha. Also, has anyone else encountered the Lords yet?"

"_Mario and his group have encountered them already; I've assumed this when I noticed Mario's vital signs going red for a moment. Why are you asking me this?_"

"Well, we need to let the other groups know of their weaknesses. I think that should help them on their searches."

"_I understand. I'll let the others know as soon as possible._"

With the telepathic link gone, Falco redirected his attention towards his teammates. "Okay. Lillian has told me about the Lords' weaknesses. The only two ways that we can destroy these guys are burns and dismemberment."

"I still my PK Fire in handy," Ness grunted, summoning a flame from his hand. "And so does Lucas."

"Okay, so you two can take them out. What about the rest of you guys?"

"Sorry," Sonic muttered. "I don't have anything that can cause burns or rip opponents apart."

"Beep," Mr. Game &amp; Watch added, revealing a two-dimensional torch in his right hand and a frying pan in his left.

_T__hat frying pan isn't what I'd call conventional,_ Falco pondered as his eyes were locked onto the pan. _But it'll have to do._

"We don't have anything fire-related," Nana muttered.

"Wait," Popo interjected. "Maybe we can freeze them and then smash them apart with our hammers."

"Well, whatever works for you kids," Falco spat. "And you, Lucario?"

"I may need to rely on my Aura-based abilities, assuming that they can put the cultists down," Lucario responded.

"Wait, I just remembered something," Slippy squeaked, "Before you leave this place, I may have something that can help you guys along the way."

The next image introduced to the entire group was the frog retreating to the stairway at the far end of the hall, possibly to retrieve some supplies. For the next couple of seconds, all was silent except for the distant marching of the robed cultists. Staring back at the chill-inducing view, Falco was reminded of Popo's comment about the massive numbers that the Lords had in their group on Corneria. Indeed, their appearance was so… sudden; in fact, there was something in the back of his mind, and it was leading him to believe that the presence of the Lords here was due to more than just simple, realm-traversing portals. Were they… created by something?

There was no answer to that question, at all. Furthermore, he was completely clueless about the actual size of the organization, just like Popo.

Then, another thought entered his head, dealing with the inhumanity of the enemies. It was truly amazing, so to speak; he had not even been in a fight with them and they were already showing themselves to be even more heartless than Andross. How could they even obliterate a city filled with innocent lives? As cruel as the mad ape scientist was, he only wished to establish a new empire in place of what Lylat was used to; murdering pure-hearted citizens was not his primary agenda, but it still occurred under the fiery wrath of his forces. These new enemies were certainly on par with the Aparoids in terms of death dealing, assuming that they had not surpassed the infectious creatures already. Both thoughts combined led to one unanswered question:

_Are the Lords even human at all?_

"Alright, I'm back," Slippy called, still keeping his voice quiet. "I've got some equipment that you guys may want to try out."

A metallic box was dropped in front of the Smashers, creating a small thud upon landing. Falco grasped the top and yanked it open, revealing an assortment of hi-tech equipment stuffed into the cubic space. There were only two types of gadgets placed with the dark confines of the sleek container; one such type was a set of red-and-white bombs marked with a large B on the front. The bombs appeared to be circular when viewed from the front, but closer examination revealed that the overall shape was actually closer to that of a cone.

"Smart Bombs, huh?" Falco puffed. "These ought to be useful. But what the hell are those?"

"You mean these?" Slippy mumbled, pointing to a group of greenish, octagon-shaped devices. "Those are cloaking devices, just in case you need to get stealthy. This will help you get past those guys without being seen. Oh yes, I've got one thing specifically for you…"

Reaching into one of his pockets, Slippy pulled out a device that was black in color and cylindrical in shape. Compared to the rest, it was very small and did not seem to possess any functionality by itself; in fact, for verification of the latter, one end was shaped into a plug of some sort. It was most likely an attachment, but for what specific object was not clear, until Slippy spoke again.

"That goes on to your blaster. It's an invention that I came up with while you were away; it can either give your weapon a scattershot effect, increase the rate of fire at the cost of power, or concentrate energy into one explosive shot. It just depends on what mode you're on."

Without uttering a word, Falco grabbed the attachment from Slippy's hands and firmly pressed it against his blaster like converging tectonic plates. A small click echoed faintly across the hall, though the timeframe for the sound was so short that most of the others did not react to it. Meanwhile, Slippy and Peppy passed the cloaking devices to each of the Smashers, with each recipient activating his, her, or its copy immediately afterwards. All vanished into thin air, leaving sound, be it a voice or a footstep, as the only indicator of their presence. Keeping all the Smart Bombs inside, Falco shut the lightweight container. Much to his relief, it became invisible with him; specifically, he was relieved because the container was no longer capable of giving away his position.

"Are you guys all set?" Slippy muttered.

"Yep, I think we're all good, Slip," the still-invisible Falco answered.

"Wait," Sonic gasped. "I still don't have anything that can help me with the Lords."

"I'll give you one of my old blasters."

"Good luck," Peppy remarked. "And, don't worry about us. We'll retreat back to the shelter to remain hidden, for now."

"Alright."

Slowly exiting the military-associated building, Falco and his fellow Smashers kept the noise level to a low point so as to not attract unneeded attention; not only were they traveling slower than usual, but they also had to avoid crushing glass shards with their feet, which was easier said than done. Even Sonic, who would normally favor speed over stealth, had to remain quiet by strolling at a slower pace. Once they were well inside the hangar, they deactivated their cloaking devices, closed the hanger's giant doors, and retreated to the bridge.

"Man," Lucas sighed. "That was scary."

"Ah, man up, kid," Falco chirped. "You really need to stop being such a wuss."

"I wouldn't really call him a wuss," Ness said. "But I do agree that he needs to have more courage."

Lucas's face was quickly painted with deep shades of reddened embarrassment. "Ness! Could you please not talk about my courage?"

"What? It's true."

"There's no time for pointless banter," Lucario interrupted. "We need to remain focused on the mission."

Ignoring the rest of the conversation, Falco activated the ship's specialized cloaking feature, an upgrade that Fox had opted to implement for stealth missions, and proceeded to exit the decimated city. A slight rumble ripped through the surrounding area, but the departure was otherwise unnoticed.

* * *

Still in search of Lillian, the young man was now beginning to tire out from his endless travel across the territory that was his homeland. With no response from the maiden, his hopes were gradually beginning to fade away. She could have been captured by now, or worse…

"Lillian…" he croaked. By now, his voice was now tired from the constant yelling. No longer did he have the strength to raise his voice, and all that he could produce were raspy, wheezing words. The rest of his body was also losing strength, no doubt due to constant travels and a fading supply of adrenaline. His legs were on fire, his breathing was heavy, his head ached relentlessly, and, most importantly, he was on the verge of passing out. The Lords were still on his tail, as his mind was quick to point out. If he decided to drop into unconsciousness now…

"Where are you…?" he wheezed. On slow, wobbling legs, he continued his sojourn into the darkness of the calm forest. Mist was blanketing the area with a gentle white, but there was nothing gentle about its effects on the man's vision. To be more precise, he was stumbling even more because the heaviness of the airborne water vapor render him unable to examine the ground for any pits, rocks, or anything that might affect the terrain. Tripping and falling over soon became more frequent, with each fall inflicting minor injuries and exacerbating his already weakened physical state.

"Speak to me…" he gasped. "Say something…"

As if on an auditory cue, slow footsteps began to approach.

"Lillian? Is that you…?"

Wait, they were actually coming from multiple persons. Who could these unseen figures be?

"_Where are you? Is someone with you?_" he called again, this time speaking in his native language. As his head twisted in all directions, he noticed several figures, around twenty of them, shambling towards him from all directions. The sheer number of trees, combined with the heavy mist, prevented him from noticing any distinguishing characteristics about the newcomers. His right hand swiftly reached for his sword's handle, preparing for a possible skirmish…

"_Who are you people?_" he asked out of curiosity. But no response echoed from the deeper forest. Footsteps continued to pound on the ground in a slow but ominous manner.

"_I need to know who you are, so it would be helpful if you gave me an answer._" By the time he muttered his comment, the figures were now less than a few meters away from him. One of them finally replied to his comment, but it was not the comforting voice of Lillian, nor was it that of a friendly person.

"_There is no escape,_" the voice sneered. "_We know that you are hiding very important information for our savior's revival. You will reveal the information to us, one way or another._"

"_No,_" the man fired back, realizing the figures surrounding were the Lords themselves. "_I will never help you revive that hideous monster._"

"_So be it._" Brandishing whatever weapons they had available, the Lords immediately proceeded to subdue their surrounded victim.

* * *

_There falls another_

_Vapor hands released the blade_

_Insane regrets at the drop_

_Instruments of death before me_

* * *

The man wasted no time at all and unsheathed his sword. Decapitating one of the figures instantly, he retreated into the deeper part of the tree-laden land to space himself from the enemy group. Avoiding magical blasts and energy beams, his heart was racing like mad as the possibility of dying phased into reality. The ability of self-defense was recognized by the enemy when the man magically deflected one beam with his blade, destroying the head of another opponent.

The enemy was on him once again.

And he was now in a state of sheer panic, as with all the times that he had encountered the enemy.

* * *

The Great Fox, now outside of Corneria's atmosphere, began its journey into the outer layers of Lylat. The cloaking device was deactivated upon Falco realizing that there were no hostiles within the ship's current vicinity.

"So Peppy stated that the explosive came from Macbeth, or somewhere close to it?" Sonic sighed.

"Yes," Falco answered, bringing up a map of the Lylat System as he spoke. "And, wouldn't you know it, we'll be going past Solar, which is a star in this area. Or it could be a molten planet. I honestly don't know."

Cruising through the starry world of Lylat, the Great Fox drifted past several of the planets, from the tropical Zoness to the icy Fichina. Once again, some of the Smashers, the younger ones to be more specific, were hypnotized by the magnificent beauty of the galactic scenery. However, their entranced state did not last as long, mainly due to prior exposure on the way to Corneria. Music once again shot through the speakers, but its ear-piercing property was now absent; Falco, against his own personal desires, kept the volume at a lower level. Conversation between the fighters was nearly non-existent, as there were not a whole lot of interesting things to talk about.

But Falco was not interested in conversing to begin with. What he _was_ interested in was the adventure itself. After being confined to the Smash Mansion and its surrounding areas for a long five years, this was now his time to satisfy his thirst for raw action, regardless of whatever danger was awaiting him and his fellow Smashers. The Lords, heartless beings they were, only boosted the excitement of it all, since they were not like the Venomian Army or anything that the pilot had faced in the past.

"This is gonna be fun," he whispered, effectively, in a semi-sarcastic manner, summarizing his feelings for the current adventure.

* * *

_At the complex, basement level…_

"Any progress with that Arwing?" Peppy sighed.

"I'm getting very close to fixing this thing," Slippy squeaked. "The only thing left to be done now is to get the G-diffusers properly configured."

"How long will that take?"

"I would say about another twenty minutes or so."

The general quickly exhibited an expression of worry. There was the possibility that the Lords could detect the two before the ship was to be completed. If the situation ever found itself going along with said possibility, there would be no change of surviving the wrath of the dark beings.

"Well, hurry up," he finally grumbled. "We need to leave this place before those enemies see us. Also, how are they doing?"

"What?" Slippy was initially unsure of whom Peppy was referring to, but quickly remembered in a matter of seconds. "Oh, you mean Krystal and Marcus? I haven't heard of them since two days ago. After they came to this place for refuge, they just suddenly disappeared on the following morning."

"Have they ever contacted you about their plans to go somewhere?"

"Nope. It's strange, really; why would they even bother coming to this place, only to wander off afterwards?"

"I do not have the answer to that. However, I can only pray that they're still alright, especially with the Lords invading this area as of late."

"Yeah; I bet that Fox is worried about them as well. Once I get the Arwing repaired, we will-"

_Thud… Thud…_

"What is that? Is that the main doorway?" Peppy was slightly shaken by the sudden sound.

"I'll check right-" Slippy started, but he was cut off just as quickly.

"No! The Lords might be attempting to break into this place; do not open the doors!"

"Well, it could just be Krystal and her son coming back to this place. I mean, who knows?"

The general sighed at the comment. The engineer could be right about Fox's family members returning to the base, but with the sheer number of hostiles within the area, the chances of those innocent souls approaching the front doors were close to zero. And, as he believed, since Slippy was not exercising extreme caution in this situation, he could end up killing them both if the general's hunch was correct. Not willing to take any unnecessary risks, he muttered:

"We'll go find an open window, preferably one that is out of their view, and see if Krystal and Marcus truly are at the door."

Slippy was initially reluctant to back out of his plan, but after allowing Peppy's words to be absorbed into his mind, he found himself strolling into the upper floors in a search of a safe observation point, with his longtime friend accompanying him. A flashlight, conveniently located in the engineer's pocket, had to be utilized due to the very poor lighting; it was perhaps the duo's only means of guidance through the chilling darkness, one that would leave any lesser person crippled with fear. The hard pounding of the locked doorway continuously echoed throughout the ruins of the main hall, and it imposed another layer of tension upon the atmosphere. Peppy was not visibly affected by this, but Slippy, lacking his friend's level of courage and despite his attempts to remain calm, was swallowed by uncontrollable nervousness.

"Man," Slippy whimpered, "I just keep thinking that the doors are gonna break down at any second."

"The doors are reinforced to withstand lesser attacks," Peppy huffed. "But I'm not sure what the newcomers might have up their sleeves."

Reaching the second floor, the two Star Fox veterans were eventually in close proximity of an unshielded window, one that was devoid of any glass. It just so happened to be located at the far end of the building's frontal wall, and there were not many Lords within the nearby area; the crowd was, at this point, beginning to spread out. In addition, the darkness of the building's interior would reduce any chances of detection by a noticeable amount. This would be a perfect, no, _adequate_ observation point.

"Keep the flashlight off, Slippy," the rabbit ordered.

On cue, Slippy disabled the flashlight. The duo then stared at the area where the doorway rested, expecting to notice Fox's family. But what they were actually exposed to was a smaller portion of the army attempting to smash through the reinforced entrance.

"So," Slippy squeaked. "They're not really here…"

"Well, we need to look for them sooner or later," Peppy grunted. "Slippy, can you get back to repairing the Arwing?"

"Of course."

* * *

The intensity of Solar's light was much greater than any other light in the Lylat System, with the exception of the area's central star, also named Lylat. Falco had specialized visors positioned over the windows to prevent anyone on the bridge from suffering total blindness.

"Ah, good ol' Solar," he muttered. "Haven't been there in a long time."

"I find it rather hard to believe that you have been in close proximity with that celestial body," Lucario softly interjected.

"Yeah, a lot of people don't believe me or Fox when they are told about our travels to the fireball. The fact of the matter is: Arwings can withstand temperatures up to nine-thousand degrees Celsius. This sun, or planet, isn't hot enough to outright fry our vehicles. Now, if we're talking about Lylat the star, that's a different matter altogether. It's a hell of a lot hotter than what's right in front of us."

"Interesting…"

Passing over the fiery world, the Great Fox drifted further into the array of planets and was soon approaching a planet filled with hundreds of minerals. From the group's point of view, the rocky surface possessed a pale blue-green coloring, with faint clouds dotting the atmosphere in irregular patterns. Water was present, albeit in noticeably lesser quantities than on Corneria. To Falco, this planet was relatively unchanged since his departure to the Smash Mansion, but a new, barely noticeable property was about to prove his thought wrong…

"Wait, I'm seeing a purple light on the surface," he spat, removing the visors in the process. The others gathered around him to witness the abnormality for themselves. The dimness of the light proved to be difficult to locate, as it was just barely flickering for a few seconds before going out and reappearing afterwards. Lucario, with eyes as attentive as Falco's, was the first to notice this strange event.

"You are right," was its response.

"How can you be so certain about this light?" Popo mumbled. "It could just be something normal."

The pilot snorted at the young Eskimo's words. "I've been to Macbeth before, not during the Lylat Wars, but in my free time. Nowhere during my previous visit did I ever see a purple light of this intensity. I'm bringing this ship down to the planet; we're going to find out what the hell is going on there, and if we're lucky, we may even find the source of the explosive that devastated Corneria City."

Some of the Smashers were still reluctant to believe his claim due to their unfamiliarity with the planet, but they still decided to go along with the plan for one outstanding reason. In specific terms, visiting Macbeth was the only for them to verify the suspicion on Falco's mind. If it really was true, then forcing the pilot to ignore the light would result in them missing a clue on the explosive's origin.

"Let's head on down there," Ness grunted.

Not one to waste any time, Falco guided the ship into the Macbethian atmosphere. Just like the Cornerian descent, a wave of extreme heat engulfed the outer hull and transformed the bridge view into a furious image of reds and oranges, but what came afterwards was something of a contrast to the lush greens of the most populated body in Lylat. The terrain was very rocky, with no permanent trace of flora to be noticed. The blue-green coloring from before had given way to a dull gray that was painted across the ground by forces of eons past; maybe the gases had something to do with the color change, as far Falco was concerned. As the ship's altitude decreased, an assortment of industrial structures came to full view. From the way they were arranged, the area was like a smaller city specifically catered to an industry-based economy. The large railway in the center was a large, metallic snake that slithered across the perimeter, laying low enough to cut it into two halves. Machines in many shapes and forms were present, but, strangely, all of them appeared to be inactive. But the one thing that really caught Falco's attention was the complete lack of workers.

The Cornerian government had reclaimed this area from Andross's forces years ago, and top officials had previously stated that activity would resume once the damage from the war was repaired.

So, why was this place deserted? Something had to have happened here, but the exact details remained invisible for the moment.

"This looks like a mine of some sort," Nana whispered.

"Yep, and no one's here," Falco sarcastically snorted. "It's pretty pleasant."

"Wait," Ness muttered. "I see the purple light ahead."

All of the Smashers responded to Ness's comment by focusing on the source of the abnormal glow: a building painted with shades of purple, black, and red. Its overall design was a complete far cry from the rest of the complex. The architecture was from a past time, most likely from the Victorian years, and not from the futuristic era that Lylat was currently stuck in; darkened gears were present, decorations were more elegant than sleek, and titanium-forged steam towers were littered across the outermost part of the structure. The top of the building housed a glowing orb that was probably the main generator to the entire place. Beside the differing look, it was also much larger in comparison to the other buildings. In fact, it was approximately five times larger in terms of overall space.

"That wasn't there before," Falco grunted. "Someone, most likely a member of the Lords, set up this place very recently."

The Great Fox hovered into the front of the mysterious structure and parked itself there. Stepping out into miner's territory, the Smashers strolled cautiously towards the metal-plated doors. With no knowledge on the contents inside of the building, most of them were slightly nervous and preparing for the worst of possible outcomes. Lucas, specifically, was shaking in such a way that resembled a person trying to warm up his or her body due to low temperatures, but he was not cold in a literal sense. No, he was trembling from fright building up inside of him.

"I'm scared…" he shivered.

"We're all nervous, Lucas," Lucario replied in a soothing tone. "But you must keep your courage together."

"Beep," the two-dimensional being added, agreeing with Lucario's statement.

"Let's get inside," Falco ordered. "And make sure to keep an eye out for the Lords or anything else that might seem important."

The doors slowly creaked open to reveal a dark, mechanical environment that was already ominous enough without the Lords nearby. Speaking of which, there were no hostiles within the visible vicinity. There were only doors, several windows, a chandelier with purple-flame candles, and pipes stretching across the ceiling in no particular pattern. A low, barely audible hum was all that broke the silence in the air, not counting the footsteps produced by each of the fighters or the doors slowly shutting from behind. The Smashers attempted to proceed with their investigation, but a few seconds later…

"What the fuck is this?" Falco growled, frustration filling up his voice. "The doors here are locked."

"Looks like the owners really didn't want anyone to enter this place," Sonic muttered, pulling on a nearby door to make sure that it was truly locked. "These doors also look very reinforced."

As a way of disputing the hedgehog's claim, Falco began firing at the door with his blaster with all available modes, but he failed to produce even a smaller dent on its surface.

"So, what's next?" Nana squeaked.

Falco remained silent for a good ten seconds before replying, "Well, there's no choice but to go back the way we came from. The only way to get further into this damn structure is by an alternate route, which I have no idea about."

The group departed from the barren hall and slammed the doors behind them.

* * *

"Alright," Slippy chirped. "This baby is ready to go."

"Now let's get out of this place," Peppy grumbled, hopping into the fully-repaired, two-seat Arwing. After starting the ignition sequence, Slippy guided the vehicle into the greener pastures of the planet with surprisingly sharp precision. As Peppy twisted towards his left, he noticed that the beaten remains of Corneria's finest metropolis were beginning to lose their specific details, but that was offset by the area's general scenery becoming more visible. This did little to comfort him in any way; if anything, just simply staring at the horrific mess from this point of view only forced him to grimace even further. Thankfully, the Arwing quickly zipped its way into rural territory before the general's disgusted facial expression worsened. The ugly image soon faded away, and the natural world came into its place.

"Where do you want me to search?" Slippy mumbled, unsure of where Fox's family would most likely be situated at.

"We'll start at this place, then we'll move on to the outer planets," Peppy answered. "By the way, is the communications link with all other Star Fox vehicles functional?"

"Yes; in fact, I'll try to contact Falco now."

But, unbeknownst to the duo, their flight was not left unnoticed. The elderly man, who was now in charge of a mighty group of Lords, was nearby when the Arwing zipped out of the city's boundaries.

"_Someone else has been in the city besides us,_" he croaked. "_If he is searching for the staff piece, then he must be eliminated. We must call upon our air vehicles to hunt him down._"

* * *

While the rest of the group patiently waited outside of the building, Falco retreated back to the Great Fox to retrieve his personal Arwing. Once inside the vehicle, he activated the ignition sequence and was immediately hit with a message from Slippy.

"-alco? Hello?" the high-pitched voice squeaked.

"What is it this time, Slip?" Falco spat.

"Hey, Peppy and I forgot to mention this while you were on Corneria, but we're searching for Fox's family members: Marcus and Krystal. I was wonder if you've seen them yet."

"No, I haven't seen those two, yet; I don't know why you'd think that they're anywhere on this planet. What I _am_ seeing is a strange place that was recently built, possibly by the Lords."

"Hmm… A newly-established building… Did you see what was inside?"

"We tried to, but the proprietors though it was a good idea to keep all the doors shut. I'm gonna look for an alternate pathway that isn't blocked off. If I'm lucky, I just might get my team inside within a few minutes."

"Ok. Now, Peppy's been telling that there's a chance that the enemy's holding Krystal and her son captive. If they're inside the building, let me know as soon as possible."

"What will you do then?"

"I'll try to-"

_BANG!_

A sudden, overwhelmingly loud sound tore through the communications channel like it was composed of paper; Falco nearly leaped backwards as this unexpected event unraveled. After taking a moment to regain his composure, his mind was immediately filled with the thought of Slippy's Arwing colliding with an obstacle, most likely due to the pilot's clumsiness. For as long as he could remember, Falco was fully observant of Slippy's below-average piloting skills, especially during the Lylat Wars. Most of the time, when the frog was stuck in a tight situation, a fellow Star Fox member would have to bail him out through constant assistance. This case would probably be no different; Peppy would have to assist him and everything would be fine again.

At least, that was what he believed until another loud bang ripped through the channel, followed by Peppy's distant voice shouting, "We got bogeys on our tail! We have to… Wait, what are these ships?!"

"Shit!" Falco grunted. "Slippy, what the hell is going on?"

"Falco, there's a group of black ships following us!" Slippy squealed. "They don't look like the ones we see here in this world, but that's beside the point; they're gonna kill us for sure!"

The avian allowed the frog's comment to sink into his mind before staring at the dark building ahead of him. If the ships had black coloring and did not resemble the ones here in Lylat, then they must be associated with the same group that constructed the new structure. Right now, there was only one group that could possibly conjure any of the foreign objects.

"It's the Orm's Lords," he finally muttered. "They're the ones tailing you."

"I'm gonna head to Macbeth," Slippy shrieked. "Hopefully, you guys can do something to help us out!"

"Wait! How many of them are there? If it's a larger group, then you're gonna get us-"

The channel was abruptly closed before Falco could finish his statement. Remaining immobile for a single minute, his frustration levels were very close to reaching the very peak; assuming that the enemy armada was of a massive size, that foolish frog was likely going to get the entire group slaughtered! If so, there would be little to no chance of retrieving the staff piece on Venom. With an angered grunt, he guided his vehicle out of the Great Fox. Meanwhile, all others remained silent as they waited for his return.

"What is Falco up to?" Ness asked, but no one had the time to answer before a swift vehicle landed right in front of the group.

"Guys," Falco puffed as he emerged, "We got Lords coming to this place because a certain SOMEONE though it was a great idea to bring them to our location. I want you all to get back into the ship and stay there. I'll show you how to handle the cannons and whatnot once we're in."

"Oh, boy," Sonic sighed sarcastically. "This adventure has just gotten better."

As the group reentered the mother ship of Star Fox, an Arwing suddenly appeared, followed by dozens of blackened ships with a similar appearance to the new building…

* * *

_When I think back to all of Dr. Eggman's schemes, I rarely see murder on his mind; in fact, the only people he truly wants to get rid of are me, Tails, and the rest of my buddies. I really don't see him marking innocents for death. But the Lords, they're a different matter altogether. From everything I've seen so far, they're definitely not the same as that robot lover. I mean, for cryin' out loud, they vaporized a city filled with citizens that are not capable of posing a real threat. _

_Speaking of which, I wonder how they would react to Eggman. Would they form an alliance…? _

_Maybe? I really don't know._

_-Sonic the Hedgehog_

* * *

**Things are spiraling out of control really fast. **

**I forgot to mention this in the A/N above, but I'll state this here; for the sake of **_**SF64**_**-related continuity, I will make the hard path in that game the canon route that Fox and his buddies took. ****Also, Falco's theatre generally won't be as bloody as Mario's, but that doesn't mean the violence will be completely toned down from here. **

**R&amp;R, if you feel like doing so.**


	10. Falco's Theatre: Part 3

Falco's Theatre (pt. 3): Skirmish

* * *

**I really don't have a whole lot to say about this chapter before I begin, other than it revealing where Krystal and Marcus are at. Here, we'll also learn a bit more about the man leading his pack of Lords in Lylat.**

* * *

_It is common belief that there is no fate worse than death…_

_Many beings have passed the misconception down to younger generations, guiding the less-knowledgeable souls down the path of lies made into truth…_

_But the truly wise know that death is not always the ultimate misfortune… _

_In certain situations, it would be preferable to die a quick death rather than suffer horrific amounts of pure agony…_

_In fact, it is not uncommon for a man severely ravaged by pain, whether physical or mental, to attempt suicide to end his suffering…_

* * *

The fleet that was approaching the area seemed to resemble an army of black, mechanical wasps. The outer appearance of each was more Victorian-based, but also harbored a sleek look similar to the Great Fox. The windows on the front were obscured by a thin layer of blackness, thus rendering all attempts to identify the pilot within virtually impossible, regardless if the aforementioned feature was intentional or not. White streams of fire zipped out of the rear-facing thruster ports, the color contrasting sharply with the rest of the ship. And for the current moment, the entire group was now targeting Slippy's Arwing, which was headed for the Great Fox.

"Slippy, what are you doing?" Peppy yelped. "You're going to give Falco and his guys more trouble than they need!"

"Look, I don't wanna die, okay?" Slippy squealed. "Maybe Falco can-"

"This is Falco," an interrupting voice from the speakers muttered. "I'm heading out to assist you guys." True to his word, Falco guided his vehicle to join the upcoming battle in the skies, all while leaving behind the comfort of the larger ship. Focusing on a single hostile, the avian took aim and fired a short burst of energy beams.

_ZAP! _

Expected to tear through the dark hull, the beams were instead absorbed by an energy field surrounding the ship. A heavy snarl stretched itself across Falco's face as the event unraveled in a way that he had not expected. He then proceeded to direct his fire at a few more of his foes, but as with the first ship, success would be out of his reach when the shots were absorbed by shields, energy-swallowing sponges by nature. As a frustrated grunt exited the pilot's mouth, an ominous voice echoed from the ship's communications system:

"Your energy-based attacks are ineffective against our shields…"

"Yeah, I fucking noticed!" Falco snorted. "Also, who are you?"

"I am known as Lars Isberg, and I am one of the five captains serving the magnificent Lords. It appears that you and your friends are out to prevent our savior from being resurrected, something that we will not tolerate. But I will say this; if you surrender now, I will have my forces show some mercy towards your group."

The pilot scoffed at the offer; it was clear that the man, now known as Lars, had no idea about his rebellious attitude, especially when confronting his enemies. "Sorry pal, but I ain't buyin' into your stupid deal. I'd much rather hear Slippy run his freaking mouth for all eternity than join your forces."

"I see," the man calmly replied. "Then you shall feeling the punishing wrath of our forces…"

With no warning to rely on, Falco immediately found himself being attacked by fast, red-coated beams from every direction possible. Evasive maneuvers were all that he could possibly perform, at least until he could pinpoint a weakness. Slippy attempted to imitate such actions, but his inferior piloting skills meant that his dodges were considerably less effective; in fact, his Arwing received several hard blows due to mistimed aileron rolls, among other things. On the final one, violent shaking nearly launched the two occupants to the ship's top.

"AIEE!" Slippy squealed. "They're pounding us with their weapons!"

"Slippy," Peppy grumbled, clearly upset with the frog's incompetence. "Get into the Great Fox. We're trading places there."

* * *

"Okay, so Falco wants us to get this ship away from the battlefield," Sonic mumbled. "And, if possible, we have to blow a hole in the building's architecture."

"The cannons might be strong enough to bring down a wall," Ness puffed. "Who in here wants to take the gunner position?"

"Beep," Mr. Game &amp; Watch leaped up. "Beep beep beep."

"Okay, G&amp;W. You'll be operating the cannons."

With a few beeps that radiated excitement, the two-dimensional figure strolled to a console near the front of the bridge. But not one second had passed before a shake rocked the ship's foundation, launching several of the Smashers a few centimeters into the air. Only Lucario successfully stood its ground; all others were now on the floor, either on their rear-ends or on their backs. Slowly standing back up, Sonic examined the ship's radar, only to notice a group of red dots approaching the center.

"Guys," he called out. "We got a group of bad guys approaching us."

"I'll try to speed the ship up," Lucario responded. The Aura Pokémon quickly manipulated the ship's speed-related controls to speed the vehicle up. Falco had previously mentioned the ability to travel at much faster speeds than normal, but this current situation would not require such an action; besides the possibility of inflicting unwarranted damage from collisions, the distance that the group needed to travel could be traversed without the use of high-speed travel. And this was despite the ship somewhat on the slow side.

"I really wish that this thing would move faster," Lucas shuttered.

"It can," Lucario sighed. "But now is not the appropriate time to be enter high-speed travel. It could be harmful to us."

* * *

As the Great Fox attempted to flee from the center of the battlefield, Falco prepared to launch a Smart Bomb into a smaller division of hostile ships. A single button press coincided with a large explosion that inflicted noticeable damage to those unlucky enough to be targeted.

Hold on…

The lasers were not able to inflict damage, but the bombs could. To be more precise, the shields were deactivated by the blast's sheer force, now leaving the ships vulnerable to attack. This would certainly be useful information for his fellow wingmates.

"Hey, Peppy," he chirped. "Do you have any Smart Bombs in your Arwing? They can disrupt the shields of those ships."

"I have a couple of them ready to go," the rabbit replied. "Once I get my vehicle out, I should be able to help you."

"Well, hurry up! I may need your help on this one."

As Peppy quickly departed from the Great Fox, Falco continued his fight against the Lords, this time by utilizing energy beams. Now that their shields were incapacitated, the hostiles were now vulnerable to laser fire, with Falco exploiting such a weakness to the fullest extent. Bright explosions littered the sky as ships were fried.

"You have revealed our vulnerabilities," Lars hissed. "But that will be of little consequence to us."

"Really? And what are you gonna do to prove your claim?"

"This."

_WHOOSH! POW!_

One of the ships suddenly slammed into the smaller Arwing, inflicting a momentary loss of control for the pilot of the latter. As the world around him transformed into a spiral of blurred imagery, a feeling of dizziness tore through Falco's head in a very vicious manner, one that nearly forced him to vomit his recently-eaten breakfast. Fast, falcon-like reflexes were all that saved him from being tormented any further by the most extreme forces of motion.

"Damn it," he growled. "I should've known those bastards would pull off something like that. Hopefully, I don't get my ass busted just because of several ramming maneuvers."

"Okay, I'm out," Peppy called. His Arwing soared back into the heat of battle, this time with Slippy in the back and the rabbit himself as the pilot. While Falco proceeded to fire away at the unshielded ships, Peppy lobbed a Smart Bomb towards a smaller, shielded group, with successful results. Lasers dented darkened metal and enemy vehicles were beginning to succumb to damage, and within minutes, some of the Lords dropped out of the sky like fiery, metallic hail. But the battle was far from over, for there were new reinforcements just summoned by Lars.

"Ah, there's more of 'em coming," Falco groaned. "Thanks for making my day better, Lars…"

"I see a couple of them attacking the ship," Peppy barked. "We ought to give the others a helping hand!"

Without replying, the avian redirected his attention towards the Great Fox, which was being harassed by a few more hostiles. Bombs and lasers continued to fly all over the Macbethian mining complex, with some of them even damaging the abandoned buildings. The larger vehicle's strong frame allowed it to resist some of its punishment, but Falco and Peppy both realized that it was not truly indestructible; the Aparoids severely eviscerating a previous model from years past proved to be a haunting reminder of that fact.

"Time to scratch some bogeys," Falco grunted, firing away as he spoke.

* * *

"Are you ready, Game &amp; Watch?" Lucario asked.

"Beep!"

"Now, being the firing process."

One tap of a button was all that the black figure had to do before the Great Fox's cannons unleashed their raw, destructive power. The dark building's western wall suffered burn marks, hardly noticeable due to the structure's overall coloring, and significant dents in its shape. Its overall durability, however, was rather surprising for the Smashers, considering that it was composed of a blackened variant of bricks. Faint explosions were heard as the beams impacted their target.

"C'mon, can't that wall go down already?" Lucas whined, worried that the Lords might attack the ship again.

"You worry too much, don't you?" Popo sighed nonchalantly.

"I'm-"

The physic could speak no more, for the ship was once again rattled by an attack from the Lords themselves. But this time, the blow was accompanied by faint sounds originating from the hangar.

"Wait, did you hear something from the hangar?" Sonic mumbled.

"I don't know!" Lucas yelped, still trembling with nervousness.

"I did," Popo answered. "It sounded a lot like a low thud."

"I'll check it out." True to his word, the hedgehog dashed into the bowels of the hangar. As he descended from the higher levels, his mind was expecting the worst; if an enemy was attempting to invade the Great Fox, then there was no telling what sort of potential damage it could cause. To worsen things, his only way of defeating said enemy was a blaster that was given to him by Falco; if he lost the thing, or if it was destroyed, then he would be at a noticeable disadvantage if his teammates were not around. His speed would be the only thing that would help him escape tougher situations.

"Hopefully, the Lords aren't trying to-"

But his sentence was left forever unfinished. In full view, there was a smaller portion of the hostile fleet that had been able to board the Great Fox without being assaulted or even noticed by Falco or Peppy. The hatches of each slowly opened up with loud hisses and light steam. The hissing sounded a lot like that of a snake, one that was ready to create hell for its victim. It was an appropriate, if not perfect, analogy; if anything, the sound was nothing but a sheer warning of pure danger. But it was not in the form of an actual snake, no, but in the guise of dark beings that were seeking to revive a serpent-like creature.

"Oh, great," the hedgehog groaned, speeding off while he spoke. "Now I've got to warn the others about this crap."

"_Get ready to lay siege to this place,_" a nearby voice whispered, its tone filled with quiet malice.

* * *

"I think the wall is starting to crack," Popo commented. His statement was not very far from the truth, as the wall was cracked in several different areas and appeared to be on the verge of collapsing.

"I'll inform Falco once we complete our job," Lucario muttered.

"Hey, guys!" Sonic exclaimed. "The Lords are on this ship!"

"What?" Ness muttered, not fully comprehending the blue blur's comment.

"I said that the Lords are on this ship. They're preparing to attack to this place."

"Are you kidding me…?"

"No, I'm not!"

_CRACK!_

The Smashers, save for Mr. Game &amp; Watch, twisted their battle-ready bodies around to notice several Lords, one of them being Lars, standing at the now-decimated doorway. The leader exhibited a demonic aura around his hands, suggesting that he was the one responsible for smashing down the doors, and his hazel-colored eyes revealed an expression of malicious bloodlust. While the latter feature was not truly demonic in any sense, it was certainly evil enough to most of the Smashers present, being almost as dark as Ganondorf's bloodthirsty expressions. By contrast, most of Lars's followers seemed to be rather expressionless, as if they were just blindly obeying their leader without question.

"Ah, you must be the fools that are trying to destroy our base on Macbeth," Lars whispered. "I take it that you are associated with the pilot that chose to disrespect me during my offer?"

"You mean Falco?" Nana chirped. "And what offer are you talking about?"

"I gave the pilot, who I assume is "Falco", a chance to surrender without causing further bloodshed, but he decided to defy me like the insect he is. And since you are assisting him, you will have to die as well."

"Not if we have something to say about it," Ness spat, forming a vibrant flame in his right hand. Without hesitating, he launched his projectile at an unlucky victim, who was quickly reduced to a charred corpse. Two Lords leaped at the psychic and proceeded to pummel him before he could react, but one of them was shot by Sonic before the assault could get any worse. Meanwhile, Lars utilized the mystical power of teleportation to approach the group of Lucario and the Ice Climbers without fear of a counterattack and then followed it up with a fist-summoned earthquake. The Aura Pokémon, who had failed to strike the leader with its trusty Aura Sphere, successfully leaped into the air to avoid damage. The Ice Climbers, on the other hand, were not so lucky.

"YAH!" Popo shrieked as the shockwave toppled him over.

"Remember this, worms: all resistance will be punished severely," Lars sighed sinisterly.

Lucario rushed forward without a verbal response and delivered an Aura-fueled uppercut to the elderly man's jaw. The victim was knocked into the air for a few seconds, but he quickly regained his composure upon touching the ground; there were also minor burns on his skin, but they soon healed up while Lucario was not looking. In response, he launched three explosive spheres of darkness from his left hand, but all except the last one were dodged via quick reflexes. Searing dark flames engulfed Lucario's body as it was tossed backwards by the strong force. The moment was rather short, but the pain that accompanied it tricked the jackal-like creature's mind into believing that it was much longer. Meanwhile, the Ice Climbers summoned a small blizzard into the ship, but the attack would end in failure when Lars summoned a heat shield to melt the incoming ice.

On the other side of the bridge, Ness, Lucas, and Sonic were locked in a heated battle with Lars's followers. While Sonic fired laser beams at a quick pace, the two psychics unleashed their PSI powers to defend themselves. A few distracted foes were frozen by Lucas's PK Freeze and then subsequently obliterated by PK-based blasts. One cultist was able to grab Ness by the neck and toss him at a nearby wall; unfortunately for the hero of Eagleland, he was not able to halt his momentum entirely and thus suffered the pain of a hard collision. As he slowly stood back up, his eyes caught a certain blue blur rushing by in order to get the attention of his foes.

"You guys are too slow!" Sonic taunted. But his luck suddenly became depleted when a single foe conjured a force field to stop him in a very painful manner.

"Oh boy, Sonic," Ness sighed. "You really should stop getting so cocky at times." Retrieving his trusty baseball bat from his backpack, he cracked the skull of one foe before incinerating him. As assistance to his fellow PSI user, Lucas guided an electrical projectile into himself.

_BOOM!_

"_What-_" a robed figure muttered, but it was already too late for her to react. The explosive impact of PK Thunder Two suddenly split her body in two and caused a large amount of gore to splatter all over a shield conjured by two other cultists. Said hostiles quickly dropped their defense when the attack was completed, only to send the psychic flying away with a fiery explosion.

As Lars continued to attack the Ice Climbers and Lucario, he was caught off-guard when the latter opponent utilized Double Team, a special attack useful for defense, to counter a fast-flying fist. For a split second, the Pokémon was entirely out of the visible eye; the captain was frozen with confusion as he attempted to search for his aggressor, with no luck his side. But then, a short, barely audible whisper rang throughout the air, followed by Lucario reappearing to deliver a package of pain. The malevolent man tumbled backwards a good distance before stopping right next to the bridge's front monitor.

"Such trickery by your side…" he grunted. "But that will not change the outcome of this battle. You will still lose."

"We'll see about that," Lucario replied, firing a partially-charged Aura Sphere in the process. Secondary projectiles, smaller icicles to be specific, were summoned by the Ice Climbers by assist in the attack. As expected for one with surprisingly sharp reflexes, Lars deflected them with a reflective energy field before conjuring an energy-based spear in his hands. The weapon was launched at ridiculous speeds, but was evaded by the even faster Extreme Speed. While Lucario was reduced to a bright blue blur, Popo clocked the man in the head before freezing his legs with a miniature blast of ice. One swing of a hammer later, and the ice was shattered, taking Lars's legs with it. Blackened blood gushed out of the wounds at an exhilarating rate to form a sick-looking puddle on the ship's cold, steel-plated floor, one that would cause a vomiting reaction from any lesser being.

"Are you ready to give up now?" Popo mocked.

"Getting overconfident, aren't we?" Lars retaliated as black ooze began to form around what remained of the severed limbs.

"What the…" Popo could not finish his sentence due to the high shock factor of what he was witnessing. The black substance was slowly manifesting itself into the shape of legs, specifically what was attached to the rest of the body before the forced removal, and quickly changed from a liquid to a solid within seconds. Återuppliva could not be responsible for this disturbing feature of magic, could it?

"How are you doing that?" Lucario spat, its mind paralyzed with confusion.

"That is none of your concern," Lars snarled. "The only thing that matters is your death.

"Beep! Beep!" Mr. Game &amp; Watch cried, which would most likely translate to: "Guys, the wall is down!"

"What?" Nana muttered. Leaving Lucario and Popo to battle the captain, she rushed over to the two-dimensional being's location, interesting in what he was about to reveal.

"Beep." The figure pointed towards the wall ahead of the Great Fox. It was now reduced to a collapsed pile of rubble lying within the interior of the building, a mere pile of black to be more exact. The shape of the hole was quite irregular, not resembling any standard shape known to nearly all civilizations, and was surrounded by long-reaching cracks. This would certainly serve as beneficial news to Falco, who was still battling enemy ships outside.

"Alright, we need to tell Falco about this so that he can get inside."

* * *

Falco's Arwing was starting to run low on Smart Bombs, as was Peppy's. A chilling feeling of doom crept into the ace pilot's body, overwhelming his usual arrogance in the process; with the explosive supply on the verge of being depleted, it would only be a matter of time before he and the other two Star Fox veterans were annihilated by the Lords, either by laser, physical strike, or, worse still, a missile; for the lattermost threat, Peppy was previously pursued by one before it was wiped out. However, he was not ready to surrender. Given his typically cocky attitude, he was usually one of the more aggressive fighters, whether in dogfights or in Smash battles, and would usually battle it out until the bitter end.

This situation would be no different.

"Hey, Falco," Nana's voice suddenly rang, thrusting him outside the confines of his mind. "We got the wall down, so you can get inside now."

"Finally," Falco grunted. "Thanks for the assistance. I'm heading inside right now. Tell Peppy to stay near the Great Fox, just in case some of those jackasses try to cause you guys any trouble."

"Actually, things are very hectic inside the ship at the moment. Sonic found out that a few of the Lords managed to sneak inside while you and Peppy were busy. They've busted into the bridge and are now trying to kill us all. We're fighting them off, but I'm afraid that they might overpower us before you finish up with your search. What do you want us to do?"

Great, just great. Now they were causing havoc within the ship as well. To top it all off, Nana's last sentence raised an interesting yet alarming reason for concern; as the full strength of the Lords was still not known, it was indeed possible that the Smashers could face a bloody end despite possessing the tools required to combat their foes. He could simply return to the Great Fox to help, but doing so would delay his search, if not getting himself killed outright. No, the search was of higher priority at the moment. Making the search quick would be adequate enough, at least to his knowledge…

"Just hold them off. Also, make absolutely that Peppy does NOT enter the ship; otherwise, he and Slippy are going to get slaughtered. Do you hear me?"

"Okay."

His eyes locked on the newly-forged hole, Falco carefully guided his Arwing inside the building to initiate his search. During this time, Peppy noticed his fellow pilot departing from the massive battle.

"Hey, Falco," he gasped. "Where are you going?"

"I'm heading inside the base to search for anything interesting. If I'm lucky enough, I might be able to find Krystal and Marcus, and the exact production area of the city-wiping bomb."

"Be careful, Falco!" Slippy squeaked, worried for the pilot's safety.

* * *

A faint explosion from outside forced his senses into full alert, in stark contrast to the general state of his tired body. Applying pressure against the cold, metallic floor, his sore muscles were strained as they tried to force his body up into a sitting position. The sensation that accompanied the action was burning and, needless to say, uncomfortable. His vision was blurry for an unspecified amount of time, for long seconds or perhaps minutes. It was not all at surprising; he had been stuck within this cell for days and the fact that the room was entirely isolated from the day-night cycle's visuals only worsened his perception of time. Only when he was freed from this nightmare would it be ever restored.

_Boom…!_

"What's happening outside…?" he groaned in a high-pitched voice. As he leaned his head against a wall, his sharp ears detected more explosions, some of them louder than the first one. Something was going on for certain, but what…

"What are you doing, Marcus?" a nearby vixen asked. Like Fox, her husband, she was a vulpine, albeit with a more unique appearance. For one thing, her fur was marked by distinct areas of white and blue instead of wooden and white, with the borders between colors also being more clearly defined in character. Furthermore, there was what appeared to be a tiara-like object crossing through the middle of her forehead; the object in question was decorated a light blue gem that only slightly clashed with her fur. Her eyes were a gentle green while her skin-tight uniform was tinted in varying shades of blue, with one tone resembling her fur color. The uniform was beaten, most likely due to wear and tear from an earlier event.

"Mom, I'm hearing something nearby," the cub, Marcus McCloud, answered. His youthful appearance was an interest mixture of traits. While he mostly resembled his adventure-loving father in a variety of ways, his fur color was nothing short of identical to his mother's.

"I think the sound is just your imagination playing tricks on you. You need to-"

The cub was not convinced by his mother's unfinished statement. "I'm being honest with you. Just press your head against the wall and listen."

Not willing to argue with her son at this time, the vixen, Krystal McCloud, simply obeyed the order. As her perceptive ears were forced against the warmth-deprived wall, a strong chill crept its way into the skin submerged by vividly-colored fur. Powerful as it was, however, it was not able to deter her from remaining glued in place. The silence that was present in the air also manifested itself within the frame of the dark, mechanical building, and it was not a serene sort of silence. Instead, it was a silence filled with overtones of creeping terror and haunting darkness, one that would leave especially unprepared persons immobilized with absolute fear. But Krystal was no stranger to fear, whether it was in the form of Aparoids, the Anglar, or even the dreaded General Scales and his vicious army. There was no reason to be nervous from this potentially harmless silence, right?

"Do you hear anything?" Marcus questioned.

The mother could not detect anything hearable within the walls and thus responded in a manner that provoked feelings of disappointment and annoyance within the cub. "There's nothing to be heard, son. Maybe the source of the noise is gone, or it could just be non-existent."

"C'mon, mom, I'm pretty heard I've heard something, like a loud explosion or something like that."

"Well, I believe that you're just making the noise up…"

_Boom…!_

The vixen's ears quickly shot upwards upon hearing the sudden sound. Maybe Marcus was telling the truth after all. "Wait a minute, what was that?"

"That's the sound that I just heard. Do you believe me now?"

_Boom…!_

"Okay," Krystal muttered. "I heard the sound now. But I wonder what's producing it?"

* * *

Away from the intense action of the battle, Falco Lombardi was once again encased by the base's mechanical environment. Passing through an unlocked door, stone and steel were all that he noticed, be it in the form of pipes, doors, the floor, or anything similar. His blaster was set to kill, not like the Smash competitions where it merely stunned opponents with slight shocks. But this adventure was no game, instead being a very real situation where death was a surefire possibility.

"I bet there are no surprises here," he sighed in his usual sarcastic tone. Ascending a flight of stairs, he encountered what was most likely a barrack for some of the cultists, given that there were resting places, along with other things that would belong to a personal room. As Falco aimed the flashlight on his blaster left and right, nothing interesting appeared to present itself in any way, shape, or form. There were a few reinforced boxes nearby, but all of them had been sealed tight to prevent theft. The only thing left to do was to continue his ascent.

And ascended he did. Another staircase was crossed and he was on the third floor, but what came afterwards was not a room. It was a narrow, dimly-lit hallway with only a single door on the other side. By now, a deeper hum not produced by the overhead pipes was audible to the pilot's ears; judging by its origin, the sound was coming from the next room.

"I wonder what's up ahead…" Falco could not resist uttering those words, curiosity gradually getting the better of him. His steps were deliberately slow while he was approaching the steel-forged door, and his mind was somehow forgetting that he was supposed to quickly finish the search, preferably before his teammates were to be slaughtered. He eventually reached the door and gently pushed it open.

What he encountered was something that delivered pure shock and awe.

"Oh boy, the Lords must be really sick fools," he quietly puffed. In front of the avian was a two-story, factory-like environment designed for the purpose of producing weapons, powerful explosives to be more exact. Darkened, constantly active conveyor belts were home to high-power bombs, presumably designed for use by a vehicle when considering the appearance of each. Next to the machinery was an assortment of weapon parts, but only a small portion of the pieces seemed to possess any obvious compatibility with the bombs. Speaking of which, several checkpoints were scattered across the belts, implementing additional parts to bombs being their sole purpose; they were recognizable by silver-colored shafts with transparent tubes containing the essential parts for construction. At the end of each belt was a box that would serve as containers to be shipped out of the base and possibly into other realms.

As for the architecture itself, the ceiling was reminiscent of a dome that extended into the skies above, being stylistically similar to what could be witnessed in a basilica. Painted on it was a morbid-looking picture of a black-skinned, red-eyed snake surround by what appeared to be golden orbs. A dark green background provided the backdrop for the rather insidious picture, in addition. Five windows dotted the very bottom in a manner that provided perfect alignment with the orbs, to where a straight line could be drawn in order to connect the two groups. The next floor above was clearly visible, but its contents were, more or less, the same as the level that Falco was glued to. Silver-colored rails were in place to prevent accidental falls. As a final generalization, this place was like a black rose; machines aside, its architecture was filled with potential beauty, but it was also overshadowed by an evil aura.

But the one thing that really captured the pilot's attention was a glowing, water-colored orb at the very center of the room. The mysterious object was suspended by a monstrous-looking claw emerging from the platform below while an energy shield surrounded it to prevent damage, intentional or otherwise. The intensity of the glow almost rivaled Solar's luminosity; indeed, Falco had to partly shield his eyes to reduce the chances of him going blind.

"Is that…" Falco started, but he immediately trailed off as he remembered an earlier comment from Slippy…

* * *

"_Wait. Where was that interference coming from?"_

"_No idea. But anyway, Peppy wanted me to find its source as soon as possible. I was about to put my engineering skills to the test when I noticed a faint blue sphere soaring across the sky at Arwing-level speeds; seriously it was real fast."_

* * *

This was it.

This was the type of bomb that vaporized Corneria City. He had to inform his teammates, and possibly Lillian, about this, right now. Adjusting the frequency on his headset while simultaneously preparing for a mental linkup, Falco proceeded to open up communications with two different recipients.

* * *

Peppy could feel the cold sweat dampening his fur; now that his vehicle was depleted of Smart Bombs, there was no feasible way to defeat the Lords without being destroyed himself. Worse yet, retreating back to the Great Fox was not a viable option, as Nana was so quick to point out. The only option available was to hold out until Falco returned.

"Oh, crap," Slippy whined. His body was now in full panic as he realized the slim chances of survivability. "We're screwed, Peppy! They're gonna get us for sure!"

"Will you get a grip?" the general furiously grumbled. But he was unable to continue when a friendly voice zipped through the Arwing's speakers.

"Hey, Peppy," Falco announced, "I've find a bomb that looks identical to the one that incinerated the city."

"You did? Where is it at?"

* * *

_Inside the base…_

Falco stretched the microphone away from his mouth before whispering to Lillian. "Lillian, you need to hear this too."

"_I'm listening_," the maiden responded.

"It's inside a weapons manufacturing area. This must be the place where the earlier thing was produced, and if I am correct, the Lords plan on making more of these things."

"Are you serious?" Peppy's voice struck the pilot as concerned, but the general would not be the only one to display such an emotion.

"_Oh no, it's just as I feared…_"

"Wait a second," it was now Falco's turn to speak. "You what?"

"_During the earlier part of my land's struggle with the Lords, several of our forces reported witnessing powerful explosives devastating large patches of land. Further research revealed that the enemies had developed a new kind of bomb called the "Blå Eldklot". We had hoped to prevent the bombs from exiting our home realm, but it appears that it's already too late…_"

"Alright, so what do you want me to do with the one in front of me?"

"_You must destroy it. If you can inflict enough damage, it should go into a self-destruct sequence, but make sure that you and your allies get out of range before it detonates. At most, you will have five minutes._"

"Gotcha, but I'm gonna take care of one thing before I do. I need to find Fox's family in the base."

"_Be careful, Falco._"

After closing his telepathic conversation, he redirected his attention towards his longtime ally and friend. Since the general had no mental connection to the innocent maiden, Falco would have to address his plans personally.

"Peppy, I'm gonna find Krystal and Marcus, then I will destroy the bomb inside. I'll let you know when I'm about to inflict some damage to it."

"Okay, but try not to kill yourself in the process!"

The pilot merely scoffed at the last part of the sentence before severing all communications. Leaping to a door on the opposite side of the room, he continued his search into a rather large dining room. The middle of the room was home to an elongated table composed of a pale-colored wood, with golden chairs surrounding it from all sides; admittedly, it was an elegant addition to the otherwise ominous atmosphere of the room. Bright candles were mounted on the walls, but none of them were illuminated at the moment. Due to the lack of windows, the only light source was a chandelier dangling from the ceiling, but it was insufficient in delivering at least an average level of visibility. But hey, at least the environment was not pitch-black. Nothing interesting was in the area, so Falco had to depart for the next room, which was a hallway branching into two paths.

"Okay, where to go…" he whispered to himself. As his eyes clicked back and forward, he realized that one of the doors, the one on the left appeared to have a set of two buttons on its right side. Closer examination revealed that the upper button had an arrow pointing up, while the lower one possessed a downward version of the same symbol. This was perhaps an elevator to the other floors. Falco jabbed a finger into the down arrow, but the button did not illuminate, nor did the motors of the elevator activate. Consecutive attempts failed to produce any results.

"What's up with this stupid thing?" the pilot grunted in both confusion and frustration. But it was not long until he realized one important thing; the elevator was powered down. In attempting to return back to the intersection, however, something else presented itself to him. He suddenly noticed a small, square-shaped hole to the left of the door with a yellowish interior. The inside of it was marked by four circular dents, one for each side except for the front. This hole was most likely a key slot of sorts, but there was no evidence to prove the pilot's belief due to a lack of a actual key. Maybe there could be one in the other pathway…

"I hope I can find the key in the other path," Falco sighed. Jogging down the right path, he entered a clean kitchen area filled with sinks, silverware, cutting tables, metallic stoves, and other kitchen-related objects. A wooden table was also present at the far side of the area, right next to a door presumably leading into the pantry. All of the doors, sans the one used from before, were locked, limiting Falco's options in regards to exploring the area, but after searching the lonely table, the avian encounter an object that appeared to have some useful value.

"What's this?" Falco eyed the object in a curious manner as it was removed from its resting spot. What he was now holding in his hands was a set of tan cubes attached to a ring via small, silver chains; the cubes were recognizable by bumps placed on four of their faces, which did not include the top or bottom, along with unique colors assigned to them. One of the six cubes possessed yellow-tinted bumps, which coincidentally matched with what was witnessed on the elevator's square hole.

"Let's see what happens when I place this cube into the hole…"

* * *

_BLAM!_

"Damn," Peppy grunted. The environment's colors were now mere blurs as his vehicle lost control. "The jets have taken serious damage! We're going down!"

Needless to say, Slippy was nearing the point to where he would be absolutely insane from the ongoing chaos. His voice was wailing uncontrollably and his body was experiencing erratic motions provoked by panic, which was exacerbated by the Arwing's own shaking as it plummeted from the sky. Sweat soaked his slippery skin about a hundred times over; his breath was loud and unnaturally short, and worse yet, his heart felt like it was about to burst into a bloody mess. Death was dangerously close to him, more so than during the Lylat Wars or any encounter with a threatening force. In his mind, he was going to perish for sure.

_THUD! THUD! THUD! SCCRRRRRrrrrrr…_

Both Cornerians were launched towards the windows at breakneck speeds as the Arwing rolled into the Great Fox's hangar.

* * *

By now, most of the Lords had been exterminated despite their best efforts; only Lars and a few others remained.

"Give it up, buddy," Sonic taunted. "You're losing this battle."

"You might think that, hedgehog," Lars hissed. "But I must warn you; I am not to be underestimated."

"And what makes you think-"

The captain interrupted Sonic's statement by firing a violet-tinted beam at him. Sonic was agile enough to avoid the blow, but a nearby Lucas was nowhere near as lucky, suffering the full force of the harmful magic. Electricity tore through his body with overwhelming power and essentially left him paralyzed, much to the delight of Lars's subordinates. As they swarmed around the psychic for the kill, they brandished their forms of offensive power to butcher his helpless form, but some of them were soon sidetracked by Sonic's absurd speed and Lucario's Aura Spheres. Nevertheless, one cultist successfully approached Lucas and proceeded to slash and stab him several times.

"HELP!" the poor brother of Claus screamed as mortifying pain overloaded his nerves. Seconds passed as this event unraveled, but agony had caused the tortured mind to perceive it as a long minute of Hell. It was only towards the end of that moment that Ness finally incinerated the cruel aggressor.

"Geez, you look horrible," the older PSI user moaned as he examined his best friend's major injuries. Deep cuts and hideous stab wounds were littered across the fair skin to soak the clothing over it with a copious amount of warm blood, a sight that those with weak stomachs might interpret as vomit-inducing, and some of them even appeared to be very close to major internal organs. Blood was also emerging from the mouth.

"I feel… horrible," Lucas wheezed as he struggled to sit up.

"Whoa, don't push yourself too hard. You might make your injuries worse."

Mr. Game &amp; Watch, who was now participating in the battle, ignited his torch and smacked Lars in the back of the head with it; the resulting injury ignited the captain for a good ten seconds, but his quick reflexes and advanced healing abilities quickly nullified any permanent consequences of the attack. A quick swing of a pan resulted in a miss, giving the opponent an opportunity to launch and incapacitate the two-dimensional figure to the other side of the room with his bare fists. He then inflicted cuts onto the Ice Climbers and Lucario via spinning, razor-sharp disks that bounced in erratic patterns across the bridge. Sonic unleashed his signature Homing Attack to stun Lars momentarily, but the captain quickly recovered from the blow and knocked the blaster out of Sonic's hands.

"You've destroyed the last of my squad," the mysterious elder growled, realizing that Ness and Lucario had wiped out the remainder of the Lords. "You will dearly pay for your belligerent actions."

"I have something to say about that," Lucario responded. Grabbing its enemy by the arm, the Aura Pokémon launched a close-ranged Aura Sphere strengthened by its user's injuries to penetrate a gore-ridden hole into the man's aged body. Black blood sprayed onto the wall behind the duo, nearly damping some of the bridge's equipment in the process. Nana cringed horribly as the violent attack unraveled.

"That pathetic attack… will not kill me," Lars coughed, suffering slight recoil from the blow. Through the power of superior magical healing, his internal organs underwent the process of self-repair while the skin cells of the affected area began to multiply at an extreme rate to restore integrity.

"This is some serious crap," Sonic moaned as he fired several shots from his now-retrieved blaster at Lars's neck. While the resulting attack was enough to cause decapitation, the head quickly reattached itself to the body by strange, unseen forces. By now, most of the Smashers began to realize that Lars was under something stronger than Återuppliva, a spell that could not stand up to serious dismemberment or burning. But before they could delve any further into thought, two familiar figures emerged from the busted doorway.

"Hey," Peppy called, "Are you guys alright?"

"What?" Nana gasped. "I thought Falco told you guys to stay out of this ship!"

"Sorry, but our vehicle was shot down by the bogeys. We also can't just stay out in the open because that would get us fried by laser beams."

"Just go find some place to hide…"

"Will do." The general quickly escorted the engineer into another part of the ship, with the Smashers providing protection from the malevolent captain, who recognized the duo as new enemies.

* * *

Falco was now inside the dry basement, thanks to the cubes, or keys, from before. The air around him was now rather foul, in contrast to the rest of the structure, where there was no scent to begin with. Additionally, the lighting was much darker, now being very close to the point of absolute blackness. Footsteps echoed across the long hallway as sound waves were reflected, mixing in with the low humming of pipes to create a simple orchestra of ambient noises.

"Hope I can get to them in time," Falco muttered under his breath, pacing at a moderately fast tempo.

"Wait, I hear someone…" a distant, unrecognizable voice whispered.

"Someone's here. Could it be...? Oh, no way."

On the other side of the hall, Marcus had managed to overhear the pilot's sounds and was now in the process of alerting his mother.

"Are you sure?" Krystal muttered, doubtful of her child's claim.

"Someone's coming to the prison; I'm certain of it. Mom, you have to believe me."

_Tap… Tap… Tap…_

"Okay, now I can hear it. But I don't know if the person is a savior or one of the robed figures that we've seen earlier…"

Falco was now surrounded by dull, rusty prison cells on both sides of him. Most of them were vacant, currently untouched by any being, living or deceased, but some of them were occupied by skeletons chained to the wall for an unknown amount of time. Such a sight would disturb any ordinary person, but the brash and arrogant pilot had developed a resistance to most sorts of fears; he believed himself to be completely over them, honestly. A gradual right turn led him into another set of cells, this one not much different from the last. The voices nearby were the only things that changed with distance; not only were they louder, but they possessed much greater clarity to where Falco could recognize the speakers.

"So, Krystal and Marcus are stuck in this decaying dump," he sighed. "I better get them out of here."

"Don't get your hopes up," Krystal whispered. "It could be just-"

Her sentence was unfinished as Falco stopped right in front of the family's prison cell. Marcus, due to the area's darkness, could not recognize him at first.

"Daddy?" he mumbled. "Is that you? Please get us out of here!"

"Kid, I ain't your father," the pheasant replied, shoving a key into the cell door's lock. "But I am a close friend of his, if you know what I'm saying. Now get ready to leave this place for good; I doubt that you and your mother would want to be trapped here forever."

"You're… You're Falco, am I right?"

"Indeed you are. Your father's not here right now, but you'll get to see him soon enough."

"Thank you, Falco," Krystal interjected. "I was worried that we might never leave this place."

"It's my pleasure, Krystal. Now, I must go destroy something that's in this base before we leave."

Guiding the family to the Arwing, which was still parked next to the hole, Falco ordered both foxes to remain in place before speeding off to the bomb factory. During this time, he attempted to contact Peppy about his current objective, but he was only greeted with silence.

"Damn it," Falco snarled. "What's taking you so long to answer?" After several failed attempts to establish communications with the general, it became quite clear that Peppy was not going to be able to respond in time before he reached his destination. Frustrated, he switched his headset to a frequency that was linked to the Great Fox.

"Can anyone hear me?" he called. "This is Falco. How are you guys doing?"

"Not very good," Popo sighed. "Lucas is badly hurt by one the Lords, and now there's this leader guy that's tearing us a new one. He just knocked out Game &amp; Watch with _one_ throw and is now beating the crap out of Sonic and Lucario. It'd be really nice if you can take care of the problem now."

"Leader? You mean Lars? I would really like an explanation for him being able to enter the Great Fox without any sort of detection."

"That doesn't matter, Falco. Could you please, please hurry up?"

"Okay, I need to destroy the bomb that's in the base first, the same type that vaporized the city. Be prepared to haul ass when I inflict enough damage to it."

By now, Falco was back inside the factory and was ready to decimate the device of absolute destruction. Drawing his blaster and setting its firing mode to concentrated burst, he was soon inflicting heavy damage. Shot after vicious shot, the panel controlling the shield was destroyed, leaving the bomb itself vulnerable to severe punishment. After a minute had faded away, the blueish coloring of the weapon gradually faded away and was replaced with a dark red tint, signifying near-collapse. Cracks expanded across the transparent surface, with rays of light shining out of them. Electrical sparks surrounded the wounded device; it was perhaps from the blaster's shots, but it would not be at all surprising to assume that it was from the bomb itself. Of course, the brash pilot was not in the mood to care.

"Just a bit more," he grunted. With two final shots, the powerful weapon was forced into a slow self-destruct sequence marked by heavy shaking and a growing light from the very center. Surely, they were ominous signs of the incoming destruction of this building and the area around it.

"Time to get out of here." With quick feet, he rushed back to his Arwing to escort Fox's family into the Great Fox.

* * *

It was not a very pleasant situation for the rest of the Smashers. Besides the obvious situation regarding Lucas, Mr. Game &amp; Watch was still unconscious from the earlier throw by Lars, while Lucario and Sonic were covered in deep cuts and significant burns; the latter two were also on the brink of collapsing from their earlier injuries, no thanks to Lars. And if that was not enough, the black ships were still pounding the Great Fox with their very damaging weapons. Now, the Ice Climbers were all that stood between the group and total defeat; Ness was too busy carrying Lucas to the ship's medical wing.

"How are we gonna take down this guy?" Popo asked.

"How should I know?" Nana whimpered, now fearing for her life. "This guy's been resisting everything thrown at him and now the others can't help us. Well, maybe Lucario can, but that's not my point. Thing is, we're going to die here if something doesn't happen soon!"

"You are correct, child," Lars puffed. "There shall be no escape from the clutches of death when you provoke the wrath of the Svärtad Orm's servants. Now, it is time for you to-"

"Not so fast, buddy," a familiar voice echoed from not too far away. "I think you and I have some business to take care of."

All the remaining combatants twisted their heads to notice Falco standing by the doorway with a cocky smirk on his face. His blaster was out and ready to blow holes into an enemy. In this case, that foe was Lars.

"So, you must Falco," the captain whispered. "I should have known that you would arrive here to confront me personally."

"Can it, big shot. You know, it would have been better if I'd kicked your ass during the dogfight, but since I'm out of Smart Bombs, I guess I have to deal with you in person."

Lars quickly tossed a disk to shed blood, but the pilot countered the attack with his reflector; the result was a black, soaked arm severed from the rest of the captain's body. This was followed by a well-timed Falco Phantasm that hoisted the victim into the air, granting the attacker an opportunity to fire several charged shots from his blaster. The other Smashers could only stare as each shot caused a limb to explode in a burst of electricity and carnage, with a mess slowly forming on the bridge's steel floor. Lars simply could not react in time to avoid having his body dismembered by the fast attacks.

"Alright, Lars," Falco chirped, firing one last shot directed at the head. "You're finished for good." The end of his statement coincided with Lars's head being destroyed by a spectacular explosion, along with a fully-powered Aura Sphere from Lucario.

"I'm glad that's over, for now…" Sonic croaked. Following orders from Falco, the Ice Climbers disposed of the body by tossing it out of the hanger; some of the Smashers noticed both Eskimos cringing severely as Lars's blood stained their uniforms with smears of black. Falco himself assumed the responsibilities of a pilot and proceeded to guide the Great Fox out of Macbeth. As he did so, the hangar doors gradually began to close with a low hum, and the jets slowly approached full power, with a light blue glow as an indication. Meanwhile, some of the enemy ships were about to pursue the larger, much faster vehicle, but froze in place when a few of the pilots noticed Lars's body being tossed into the ground.

"_Is that… Captain Isberg?_" one of the Lords slowly muttered. "_Someone needs to go and pick him up immediately._"

"_What about the enemy ship?_" another pilot asked.

"_We'll send out a squad to take care of that. Right now, we need to-_"

The crippled bomb, at that point, finally overloaded and soon unleashed an explosion with the power of a thousand suns, vaporizing anything that was unlucky enough to be captured by the intense heat wave…

* * *

"Is it me, or is this placing shaking out of control?" Sonic yelped. The extreme force of the explosion had crept into the air at speeds faster than what the ship could provide, only to rattle the ship like a mere ragdoll. The Ice Climbers, who had returned from the hangar, braced themselves by clinging on to a few leather-coated chairs. Lucario and Sonic were swept off their feet, their injured bodies unable to react in time. Mr. Game &amp; Watch was suddenly awakened by the heavy vibrating, his body scrambling to rediscover its composure. The rumbling came to a gradual halt only when a few seconds had come to pass.

"That was the bomb, am I correct?" Lucario asked curiously.

"Yeah," Falco admitted slowly. "Now that we got the base out of the way, we can finally head to Venom."

"I bet the Lords are going to be pissed when they see their base in ruins," Sonic coughed.

"True, but we shouldn't expect any problems for a while. How's Lucas?"

"He and Ness are in the medical wing right now. Speaking of which, I need to go there as well; I got cuts and bruises I need to take care of."

The hedgehog slowly limped out of the bridge, leaving behind a small blood trail as he did. Lucario followed suit, albeit with a visibly faster pace of walking. At the same time, Krystal entered the area, noticing the injured blue duo strolling by in the process.

"Falco?" she asked. "Can you explain to me what's going on here in Lylat?"

"Of course," Falco replied. "It may sound complicated at first, but you'll understand soon enough."

* * *

_I have never expected the Orm's Lords to be difficult foes to deal with. I should have expected this when we started our adventure, but their strength is unlike anything I have ever witnessed. Not since the Subspace incident or my adventures in Sinnoh have I been exposed to danger of such an extreme magnitude. I can only pray to Arceus that everything will be alright in the end. _

_Also, I have recently noticed something else. Lillian did not warn us of Återuppliva, the ships, the bomb, or anything that the Lords might have had in their possession, prior to us leaving the Smash Mansion. Was she not expecting us to encounter such dangers? Or is she deliberately trying to hide vital information from us, and if so, for what reason? For now, I do not know what to believe…_

_-Lucario_

* * *

**Now that all the preliminaries are out of the way, Falco and his group can now head to the toxic planet of Venom. (Woot!) And, this took me a longer time to work on than I had expected due to rigorous classwork as well as an ongoing illness.**

**A/N:**

**-Unlike Agnetha, I didn't rely on the names of well-known Swedish people to come up with Lars's name. I made a search to find Swedish names that I could probably use for naming the next captain to be presented. After a while, I eventually settled on the name that you'll be seeing in the story from now on.**

**-"Blå Eldklot"="Blue Fireball"**


	11. Falco's Theatre: Part 4

Falco's Theatre (pt.4): Poisonous Gases

* * *

**Into the hazardous land of Venom we go…**

* * *

_Trust is a fragile object…_

_It is very easy to shatter, and very hard to fully repair…_

_In most situations, it only requires one serious event to break a relationship between two or more souls…_

_When this happens, the perpetrator's image is ruined in the eyes of trusting beings…_

_All will turn away from him, and certain possessions can be taken away or destroyed by the betrayed souls…_

_The most serious acts of treachery will make the resulting damage irreparable…_

_The belief of frailty in trust has been burned into the minds of many, unrefuted by any opposing viewpoints… _

_It is not unreasonable to believe that it is a primary factor in keeping families and trusted ones together…_

* * *

"So, the Lords wish to reassemble the Staff of Björn to unleash the Svärtad Orm on all of the realms?" Krystal gasped slowly. Her eyes began to widen with shock as she spoke.

"Yep," Falco sighed, keeping a grim expression on his face. "And they will stop at nothing to get what they want. I mean, they killed nearly the entire population of Corneria's capital city just for that particular goal."

"When Marcus and I were captured and sent over to the base on Macbeth, a strange man with a red emblem on his cloak revealed to us that those merciless villains have also disposed of the miners within the complex. At first, I thought he was making something up because I had not seen any bodies on the planet's surface."

A flare of curiosity ignited inside the pilot's mind. "I wonder what Lars Isberg, the guy who was talking to you earlier, said to make you change your mind…"

"Before I could continue, he revealed to us that he was actually _using_ the bodies for something important to him. I tried to interrogate him on that matter, but he refused to respond. I guess he was trying to keep the details hidden."

Bodies used for something _important_...

That thought made almost no sense at all. How could corpses of innocent souls be utilized in any sort of fashion? Unless Lars was skilled in necromancy, which he did not appear to be, the usefulness of dead flesh seemed too far-fetched for the ace pilot to believe. Then, another important fact popped into his mind…

"Well, he's dead, so we can't ask him now. Maybe we'll find something else that can give us more insight on his little experiment, though I highly doubt it."

* * *

_Inside the medical wing…_

"I don't think he'll hold up for long," a bandage-covered Sonic sighed, grimacing at the sight in front of him. Lucas, now barely conscious, was partially covered by an assortment of bloodstained bandages on his body. The red coloration present was very deep and quite appropriate when taking into account the severity of the freshly-made injuries. It was also a reason for discomfort, as the sight of it was ugly enough to force the hedgehog's current expression onto his face. Meanwhile, the psychic's skin was colored an unhealthy pale due to the aforementioned heavy blood loss. This unnatural hue sharply contrasted with the blood, as all observers had noticed.

"Maybe," Peppy mumbled, aged eyes staring at Lucas. "I just hope he doesn't give out before we reach Venom, or we will be one man short in our fight."

"Peppy, he's not in a state to continue fighting," a patched-up Lucario added. "For the time being, we will keep him inside this area until we return to the Smash Mansion. Maybe Lillian can do something about this, that is, if she has healing abilities."

"Hmm, do you think that Slippy and I can stay at that mansion of yours until this whole thing is resolved? Staying at Corneria City is out of the question, and there's no base within the Lylat System to hide at. Oh, and let's not forget about Fox's family; they also need a place to stay."

The Aura Pokémon paused for about two seconds, most likely for a moment of consideration, before replying. "Yes, you are more than welcome to seek refuge at the mansion until we defeat the Lords."

"Finally," Slippy sighed in relief, "We'll be able to rest for a little while. Thanks for accepting our offer, Lucario."

Lucario replied with an affirmative nod before strolling out of the room. As it did so, it could hear Ness mutter the following words in a hopeful yet worried tone:

"Please, Lucas… Don't die on me, man."

* * *

_At the main palace of the Lords…_

"Mästare," an extremely alarmed servant gasped, "_Allow me to enter!_"

"_You appear to be concerned about something_," the physically obscure leader whispered. From his perspective, the servant was almost out of breath; maybe he had been sprinting all the way up here. Like most of the other members of the organization, the subordinate's face was concealed by a hood, but his alarmed expression underneath was something that his leader could somehow detect without having to necessitate a close approach.

"_I have some grave news for you,_" the Lord continued. "_According to a few of our troops,_ _our groups in each of the assigned realms, except for the one in Altea, have been experiencing attacks by unidentified beings. We are not sure who they are or how they were able to figure out our intentions, but we need to get rid of them before they inflict any more damage upon us._ _Also, we have lost contact with our base on the Lylatian planet of Macbeth_."

"_What about Lars Isberg? Have you established contact with him?_"

"_I have been unable to get a response from him, for reasons I cannot explain. It is possible that the base was raided by the very same aggressors that hope to force us into ruin._"

The leader now felt a disturbing chill through his body as soon as his servant was finished speaking. A new force was now attempting to halt the Holy Serpent's revival, and if it was strong enough, the organization could be obliterated in a matter of days, if not hours. This was not acceptable in any way. The aggressors had to be stopped before it was too late, but there was one thing that should be done prior to that…

"_I want you and the others to analyze who our new threats are. We must find a weakness in them, then strike all of them down when they least expect it. We also need to find their gathering place; when we destroy it, it should cripple their operations._"

"_As you wish. I will work with our realm experts and any survivors from the assaults to gather information as soon as possible._"

Within seconds, the leader was once again alone in his room. Silence crept into the room at a chillingly rapid pace when the door ceased to creak. To the man himself, it was a very commonplace experience. Maybe he had nothing else to do, besides commanding an army dedicated to the Svärtad Orm, but this was perhaps an integral part of his personal world. Besides keeping himself isolated from the constant turmoil of his world, it allowed some breathing room for thoughts to flow into his head. He had lost count as to how many times he was stuck in an absence of sound, but that mattered little; no matter what, silence was an inescapable yet beneficial entity that was constantly holding his hand. Nothing could separate him from it, not that he desired to break the bond.

But while numerous thoughts began to roam free, one suddenly stood out from all the rest. Since the beginning of the entire battle for the Holy Serpent's revival, there was one person that he had been constantly seeking, someone very important to the Lords' plans. So far, there had been no success in pinpointing that character's location, but all that would change soon. Very soon…

"_I will find you,_" he whispered under his breath. "_You will not escape me…"_

* * *

A dark green haze began to spread across the windows as the Great Fox plunged into the toxic atmosphere of Venom. The coloring of the gases was nauseating to many of the people on-board. In fact, the mere sight caused images of the most disgusting things imaginable to begin plaguing their minds; it was only when a few minutes had passed that this unpleasant effect began to fade away entirely. Besides the nasty appearance, the haze also partially blocked out whatever was awaiting the Great Fox by limiting the distance of visibility to only a few meters.

"Not the kind of place I would want to live in," Sonic chirped. His statement was truly realized when the gases of the upper atmosphere slightly dispersed to reveal a wasteland unlike any other. The soil was absolutely barren, with no traces of flora due to the poisonous gases. Jagged mountains littered the area to provide a sort of scenery that was very reminiscent of other hostile lands, such as the Mushroom World's Dark Land or Halcandra, a lava-filled planet within Kirby's universe. Colorless, highly acidic oceans were also in sight, their presence alone intensifying the already dark mood of this forsaken planet. Combining all this with the fact that there was very low lighting, Venom was essentially a living hell stuck in a state of perpetual darkness. It was a symbolic place of damnation meant to destroy Andross many years ago.

"I don't see how we're supposed to find the piece in this place," Popo sighed. "This landscape has nothing distinctive about it."

"If I recall," Falco replied, diving into his personal pool of memories, "Andross used to have a base on this planet. We may need to check it out first, but then again, the piece can be anywhere else in this loathsome dump."

As the pilot and the Eskimo continued with their conversation, Lucario activated its life-seeking abilities to sniff out any traces of life. The Pokémon was fully aware that Venom's atmosphere was not capable of sustaining nearly all forms of life, but this process was a simple precaution to ensure that no threats were around. Besides, something about this planet seemed… off to it. It was as if something was hidden underneath the planet's surface, waiting for the right time to strike at the Smashers. The fact that there were no evil forms of life energy around did little to comfort it.

"Is something wrong?" Sonic asked, noticing Lucario's suspicious expression.

"We may need to watch our backs from here on out," was the Aura Pokémon's reply. "There may be unseen threats lurking within this planet."

Falco could barely hold back a scoff as he overheard Lucario's seemingly ridiculous comment. "Are you kidding me, man? There's no way that life still exists on Venom, not after we annihilated Andross's army and the Anglars."

"I understand, but there's something not right here. I can feel it…"

"Well, we're gonna find out of your claim is true or not." Falco proceeded to direct the Great Fox into the direction of Andross's former base. During this time, an uneasy silence broken only by the low hum of the ship's engines formed to match up with the auditory properties of the outside. One could assume that it was most likely due to Lucario's comment, or a lack of any interesting subjects to talk about. Or it could be both. Despite the vehicle's motion, the strange forces of nature were at work to fool the Smashers into one thing: continuously making laps around the same area. It would have been successful, had it not been for the main monitor's map.

* * *

_Inside the medical wing…_

"Easy, buddy," Ness muttered. "Don't push yourself too hard." Lucas was now awake, though his blood loss was threatening to drag him back into unconsciousness; in particular, his vision was plagued by blackouts in spite of his eyelids being as wide open as they could. In addition, his body was struggling to sustain itself due to reduced physical strength.

"How… how long was I out for?" the timid psychic weakly groaned.

"You were incapacitated for nearly an hour," Peppy answered. "The blood loss turned out to be more serious than I initially thought, and I had to quickly patch you up before your condition could get any worse. You should be okay for now, but you'll have to remain here until we get to the Smash Mansion."

Lucas pressed a feeble hand against his aching head, only to realize that the pain would not disappear in spite of the pressure. Maybe Peppy was right about the blood loss; it was serious enough to be causing these problems to him, all to make his life more hellish. "Okay. I just… hope that the Lords… don't bust into this ship again."

The general's ears perked up in response to the comment. "You took the words right out of my mouth, young man."

Ness, concerned for his best friend's safety, twisted his body to face Peppy. "I would like to stay here in this wing to keep my buddy safe," he suggested. "It's just in case those robed freaks decide to show up."

As per his generous nature, Peppy's next comment was one of approval. "Sure. You get to stay here; besides, it would be harmful for him to be alone if we do have another run-in."

As the general exited the room, Ness stared at his friend's beaten form and then out a nearby window. It was there that a thought penetrated his mind, one that seemed very important to him. While it was expected that this new adventure would be filled with peril, he had never expected it to be just as danger-filled as the Subspace incident. Maybe it was even more dangerous than before, seeing as though there was a near-casualty in this early point in time. But no, it was too early to jump to conclusions. For one thing, he had no idea as to the status of the other groups. For all he knew, they could be performing their tasks without any problems, or they could be trying to desperately dragging themselves out of a hellish situation. Secondly, Lillian had not provided any details about future threats that might be lurking in just about all of the piece-bearing realms.

Stop. Hold on. Why did the maiden fail to warn the Smashers until after the threats were encountered? It was possible that she was not aware of what the hostile forces might have had up their sleeves, but…

Was she hiding something?

"I need Lillian to answer some of my questions soon," he whispered. "I think I'll talk to her in person. That way, I'll know if she's holding anything back."

* * *

The Great Fox was now in the field where Star Fox held an epic battle with Star Wolf many years ago, near the end of the Lylat Wars. The memories were, needless to say, still strong within Falco's mind; it had been many years since then, but it just felt like they had all occurred only a few days ago. To add, this field was mostly unchanged, as if the forces of nature had forgotten about it entirely. All the hills were still in their same shapes, but the hole leading into Andross's subterranean base was now absent. Falco was suddenly reminded of what Cornerian forces had done to the base following the Lylat Wars: dismantling what remained of the base to ensure that no other villainous army would utilize it for any sort of dangerous motives. Of course, this, coupled with the lack of any unusual discoveries, meant that the staff piece was not likely to be located inside.

"Let's go search somewhere else," he grumbled under his breath. As the ship passed through the next couple of hills, few of the Smashers expected anything out of the ordinary. The piece was most likely located in a well-hidden place and the hazy, monotonous scenery, along with its hazards, was the perfect environment for keeping many things invisible to peering eyes. The map on the main screen did not seem to reveal anything unusual or noteworthy. To worsen things, much of the planet was left unexplored by Falco, mainly due to a lack of interest, and it was certainly not explored by the others at all. This search was going to be a very confusing one with no obvious indicators whatsoever. If they were lucky, they would find the safeguarding area in a matter of minutes, but this was very unlikely. Patience was the only thing left to rely on.

Within the next few minutes, there was little to no activity in the bridge or the entire ship. The only thing noteworthy was Falco playing some of his music from the jukebox, with the volume kept to a minimum so as to not disturb the others. But even then, the plethora of carefully-arranged musical notes was not enough to add energy to the slow-paced atmosphere. Boredom was still overshadowing the Smashers, perhaps to the point where they could potentially be driven insane. There was really nothing better to do, to be honest. But, unbeknownst to all, a dark force was silently stalking them…

Several meters away from the Great Fox, an enemy ship was slowly pursuing from behind, keeping its distance to avoid detection. The shape of the ship was exactly identical to the vehicles used by the Lords during the battle at the mining complex, with the same body and the same features that were present. This particular vehicle, however, was concealed by an active light-bending field utilized for stealth operations, which would easily fool any opponent who did not have access to enhanced vision. This cloaked machine was a hidden predator in the air, quietly biding its time until it was ready to strike. The inside housed many things: a set of switches used for operational purposes, a rather primitive-looking yet advanced radar, a seat, and vice versa. The one thing that stood out the most, however, was the pilot.

It was Lars, revived and ready to attack. His robe was torn and bloody, but he was otherwise unchanged in appearance.

"If you think that you can get to the piece first," he quietly puffed, "then you are sorely mistaken." As he spoke, he pressed a dark green button on the dashboard to charge up one of the ship's weapons. Back on the Great Fox, Falco began to notice the faint outline of a distant structure.

"Hey," he announced, "I'm seeing something up ahead. It's look like a building of sorts."

Suddenly dragged out of his stupor, Popo willingly allowed his curiosity to flare up. Within seconds, he realized what the pilot was referring to.

_There must be something interesting up ahead_, he pondered. And indeed there was; joining the pilot in sightseeing, he noticed a structure up ahead. While most of the exact details were a little fuzzy, it was about as tall as the Macbethian complex's now-decimated base, maybe even taller. The heavy fog, combined with the fact that the Great Fox was too far away, made it difficult for the climber to tell. The width was ridiculously large to the point where it almost seemed unrealistic, spanning from one distant hill to another and leaving very little open space in between. The roof contained a dome that stretched its body across the entire perimeter, leaving only the corners untouched.

"I don't think I've seen this building before," Falco grunted. "We ought to go check it out. For all we know, it could be housing the staff piece that we need."

Then it hit Nana. She quickly realized that the group needed some form of protection from the suffocating atmosphere of Venom. As the building was completely swallowed by the aforementioned hazard, and because the ship was unlikely to fit inside, this would be helpful information to the others. But there did not appear to be anything aboard the ship that could help. Curious, she was quick to ask Falco the following question:

"Falco, do have anything that can protect us from the nasty gases?"

As if expecting the question, Falco confidently answered, "Sure. The ship's got some suits that can used when going into dangerous environments. They're in the hanger bay. Now, once we put the Great Fox to a halt-"

The rest of the pilot's sentence fell away from Lucario, for at that moment, the Pokémon could feel a hostile force approaching the ship. Its vision once again lost nearly all color, with the sole exceptions of any Aura present. At the front of the ship, it was a sea of blue clashing against a dull world; the threat was obviously not coming from the front. Lucario pivoted its body towards the sides and the blue coloring was taken out of view, but there was still no visible sign of any threat. Its heart was beginning to beat faster, thanks to the spirit of nervousness utilizing his hands to slowly crush it alive. Hopefully, it pondered, its mind was not playing deceitful tricks on it. Turning towards the back of the Great Fox, it noticed a faint radiation of evil. This was not a good sign.

"I feel something coming from behind…" it whispered.

"You what?" Ness interjected.

"I said that I feel something coming from behind from us. It is something… evil. Whatever it is, it's trying to stalk us. Falco, I need you check on the ship's radar; we need to know what we are dealing with. We can only pray that it is not one of the dreaded Orm's Lords…"

With no word spewed from his mouth, Falco checked up on the ship's radar. Much to his surprise, there was no red blip to be seen, when there should have been one due to a nearby foe. This struck the avian as odd. How could there be a hostile nearby when the ship's equipment was not even detecting the presence of such? There were only three explanations for this; the radar was malfunctioning, the enemy was no longer in the area, or Lucario was lying. As far as Falco was concerned, the radar had undergone a recent inspection last week to check for any problems, which there were none. The chances of a glitch occurring now were quite low, thanks to the stability of the radar's components. As for the enemy leaving the surrounding area, that seemed like the most plausible scenario, but nearly all of the Lords within Lylat were wiped out by the bomb, right? And there were no other hostiles to be concerned about, at least to the group's knowledge. Finally, Lucario was not the type of creature to lie in most circumstances, given its truthful nature.

"Beep?" Mr. Game &amp; Watch, now observing the radar, asked.

"I am sure of it, Game &amp; Watch," Lucario replied. "This dark force is closing in on us."

"I'm not too sure of your claim," Peppy grumbled quizzically, "But there is only one way to find out. Falco, do you think you can check out the ship's exterior for any bogeys?"

"I'll use the ship's rear-facing camera," Falco answered, all while pressing a blue button on the dashboard. As a new image of Venom's environment zipped onto the screen, everyone waited for a foe to be made visible. After a few seconds, however, it was clear that there was nothing following the Great Fox, Lord or otherwise.

"Guess you were wrong after all, pal," Falco spat. "I don't see anything out there."

"Yeah," Popo concurred. "I think something must be messing around with your Aura-seeking skills."

Lucario let out a soft sigh as the rest of group sided with Falco. There had to be an enemy out there, it pondered. Otherwise, it would not have detected that one tiny trail of malevolence. But, as if luck was playing a cruel trick on it, it had no way of proving its claims beyond any reasonable doubt. Meanwhile, Falco resumed his normal activities for the time being. Maybe this _was_ one of the times when Lucario was making things up.

Unless something was off. If that was the case, then…

_BZZZTTT!_

In a fraction of a second, all equipment aboard the Great Fox unexpectedly lost power, including the lights and, more importantly, the engines. Most of the ship's inhabitants were left confused, with the explanation for the sudden shutdown left unknown to them. Falco, in particular, mashed his fingers against every single button on the dashboard, hoping that this new event was just a temporary glitch. But it soon became apparent to him that this was something of a more serious nature, as repeated button presses failed to restore any of the ship's functions.

"What is this crap?" he puffed. "Fox told me that everything should be working fine!"

"Maybe he forgot to check up on some important things," Peppy sighed.

"No. Fox specifically told me that all of the ship's systems were not having any mechanical problems during his diagnosis. And that was a week ago, so-"

"I do not believe that the ship itself is the problem…" Lucario interrupted with a confident tone of voice. "It might have something to do with the enemy behind us."

"And how the hell are you so certain about-"

But the pilot was cut off as soon as the ship began plummeting into the ground. Confusion morphed into terror as the Ice Climbers and Mr. Game &amp; Watch were overloaded with panic, while Falco and Slippy desperately hurried to the engine room to restore power before it was too late. As its falling speed increased, the ship slowly entered into a nosedive position, with the bridge ready to take the full brunt of the incoming crash. The increasing acceleration was also causing many of the adventurers to be dragged towards the rear wall.

* * *

_Inside the medical wing…_

"What's going on here…!" Lucas whimpered.

"Something's knocked the ship offline," Ness grunted, struggling to hold his ground. "We're gonna crash if something isn't done soon!" As soon as he stopped speaking, a flurry of objects on the far wall, be it medical supplies or anything else important to the wing, began to rain down on the two young men. In addition, the increasing falling speed of the ship began to carry Ness and Lucas upwards, closer to the rear of the ship. Carrying Lucas with him, Ness was now standing on a wall as the ship proceeded to perform a nosedive into the planet. He had no problem dodging whatever was out to fall upon him, but upon reaching the doorway, he was forced to stop when he noticed that the dark area ahead possessed a long drop into the end of the hallway below. Examining the hallway with his PK Fire, it also became realized that there was also nothing to hold on to, at least not within his reach: no doors, no juts in the walls, or anything that extended outwards. This left him worried, now that he had almost nowhere else to go; his current location was decorated with a medium-sized window, and if that shattered in the crash, the resulting gases would suffocate him and Lucas for sure. There was only one way out of this situation.

"I wonder if my jump can reach the top…?" he mumbled.

"I can get up there!" a distant voice shouted. Before Ness could take action, Falco suddenly emerged from the bridge's previously-destroyed doorway and began racing towards the ship's rear. On the way down, at least from Ness's perspective, he had to engage his blazing Fire Bird to blast through a deactivated door leading into the hangar bay, which housed an elevator to the engine room. Upon landing on a wall…

"Aw, I have to navigate through all this shit?" the pilot groaned. Most of the area's heavier objects, including the vehicles, had been scattered across the closest wall and made the area resemble a difficult-to-navigate junkyard. Scrambling hurriedly and using his blaster's flashlight as guidance, he eventually reached a metallic container filled with specialized suits and popped it open. The suits were decorated with a plain shade of white, possessing no other decorative factors, and were slightly baggy because of their large size. On the top of each suit was a helmet equipped with a see-through visor.

"I better start passing these out now," he grunted. Leaping back to the bridge, he tossed out the suits to everyone on-board, including Krystal and the terrified Marcus.

"Mom, I don't want my life to end like this!" the cub squealed. His eyes were very close to being soaked with tears.

"Everything's going to be okay," Krystal replied, though she was clearly frightened herself. She fidgeted with her suit and was rather slow to force her body into its interior, most likely due to panic. The others slipped into their suits with little hesitation, but by then, the ship was very close to colliding with Venom's barren earth. Slippy, upon noticing this, instantly descended into a state of madness.

"OH, MY GOODNESS!" he screamed. "WE'RE GONNA DIE! WE'RE GONNA GET TORN TO PIECES!"

"Oh, damn…" Peppy gasped, staring out from the bridge's windows. "We're screwed…"

_CRASH!_

* * *

Outside, Lars smirked out of satisfaction when the Great Fox slammed into the ground like a meteor. Now that the Smashers were out of the way, he could obtain the staff piece without further opposition. Its retrieval would certainly benefit the society of Orm-worshippers. And on top of that, there was a building nearby that could be its possible resting place. This was actually easier than he thought it would be, or maybe it was just luck. Either way, victory was his.

"Falco and his group are finished…" he sighed before leaving.

* * *

Inside the Great Fox, the bridge was in absolute ruin. With no protection from the impact, its shape was disfigured beyond repair and its windows were now tiny shards of glass scattered across what used to be the main computer. Of course, all of this was not visible to the crew aboard due to the lack of light. Most of the Smashers, along with the McClouds and the Star Fox team, were now slumped against the wall with the most damage, with a few of them suffering from injuries due to the fall. Slippy, specifically, was afflicted with a concussion because of a major head injury.

"Ow…" he moaned. Aside from the slight noise of the others standing back up, the engineer could hear a faint ringing noise in his ears.

"Uh…" Peppy coughed. "This is truly a crock of crap. Did everyone get into the suits?"

"I did," Lucario answered, with no changes to its voice's clarity. It proceeded to light the bridge with its deep-blue Aura. "And I believe most of the others have done the same. All we need to do now is to climb out of this place."

With its Extreme Speed, the Pokémon ascended to the medical wing, where it was revealed that the window had shattered during the impact. Thankfully, however, Lucas and Ness were able to put on their suits before they were terribly poisoned. As the two young men stepped out into the hostile wasteland with Lucario, the Great Fox slowly began to regress back into the position it was in before the power loss. This made it easier for most of those on-board to leave without any greater form of assistance; Slippy, however, had to be supported on the way out due to his injuries. Inside the hangar, Falco had to open the larger doors via manual override before preparing his Arwing for launch.

"Fuck…" he growled, face fraught with frustration. "Fox is going to be pissed when he learns of this." Driving his trusty vehicle into the hellish land, Falco was soon able to get a clearer view of the distant building. The overall structure was forged out of stone, something that could not have been used by Venomian forces when they constructed their bases throughout Lylat, and possessed a bright, untainted sliver coloring that sharply contrasted with the dark earth. There were no windows to be found, nor was there any machinery on the outside, but there was one property that certainly captured the pilot's attention for virtually a minute. Right above the only pair of doors was an insignia that Falco was not at all familiar with; inside the boundaries of this new symbol were two roses sprouting from the bottom and a lion whose head was perpetually staring at the sky.

"I've never that symbol before," he sighed. "Maybe I should ask Lillian about this…"

* * *

_At the Smash Mansion…_

"How long has your kingdom been at war with the Orm's Lords?" Master Hand asked. He was floating over the dining room's table, with Lillian sitting on the chair closest to him.

"We've been fighting them for approximately nine years now," the maiden responded, chewing on a green apple between her sentences. "One day, they approached our kingdom with an ultimatum: surrender the staff pieces and the "pure-hearted one", or watch the kingdom crumble from their wrath. Immediately, we realized that they were planning to revive the Svärtad Orm, so we sent our forces to search for whatever bases they might have established prior to their threat. Meanwhile, the king responded to the group's leader via letter and stated that he had no clue of where the pieces were at, but the leader was not convinced, and he said that he would attack if the demands were not met. By that time, a base was discovered and immediately destroyed by the kingdom's army. This event was what sent the whole realm into a state of war."

"I see. Where were you when this war flared out of control?"

"I was within the kingdom's central city, and I, alongside my older brother, was kept hidden because I was only a child back then and my parents feared for my safety."

"But during the time that you were in hiding, you were given the magic that allows you to detect the pieces, right?"

Lillian pulled her hair up before continuing. "Yes, but it was only after my brother reached adulthood that I was given such abilities. You must understand; the magic that I have is a very experimental one. It was created by the most powerful magicians of the kingdom using exceptionally rare materials from nature. There were people before me that had tried to use it, but its instability at the time resulted in very harmful side effects, such as hallucinations, mental breakdowns, paralysis, and, in the most extreme cases, uncontrollable violence."

"That makes sense. Now, what about your family members? Where are they at now?"

"They-"

"BOO!" a voice from behind shrieked. The maiden leaped straight from her chair, barely choking back a scream in the process.

"Crazy, what the hell was that for?!" Master Hand roared, staring at his unstable, left-handed counterpart.

"Oh, man!" Crazy Hand giggled. "You should have seen the look at this girl's face! I really caught her off-guard, didn't I?"

Master Hand was not amused by the prank in any way, nor was he convinced by the comment. "Look, I could care less if you do that prank to any of the Smashers, as long as it's not done in excess, that is. But this young woman here is a guest of ours. You should know better than to treat her like that. Do you get me?"

"Sorry…"

A brief pause hanged over the air before the commentator redirected his attention to Lillian. "I am terribly sorry for that. This here is my brother, Crazy Hand. You really shouldn't be taking him seriously, regardless of what he claims. He's more on the… goofy side, if you know what I mean."

_An unstable brother of his_, the maiden pondered. _I wonder if he's dangerous in any way… I surely do not want him to cause damage when I least expect it._ She cleared her throat before continuing the conversation with the following words:

"Is he a threat?"

"No," Master Hand answered. "He won't be causing any serious damage. Not while I'm around."

"That's right!" the crazed one exclaimed. "I'm totally harmless, so you can play or chat with me without the possibility of harm coming to you."

"Thank you," the maiden muttered, "But I am not in the mood for any sort of child's play, or any sort of conversation with you."

With a slight giggle, Crazy Hand zipped out into the mansion's main hall. All was silent afterwards, save for a barely audible groan from Master Hand. Lillian was left with a dumbfounded expression on her face, most likely due to witnessing the crazy one's usual behavior. Hopefully, Master Hand was right about him being harmless. After a few seconds, she was ready to open her mouth, but before she was actually able to do so…

"_Lillian…!_" Falco's voice rang. "_Hey, can you hear me?_"

"Hold on, Master Hand," Lillian suddenly sputtered. "Someone's trying to contact me."

* * *

Back at Venom, Falco was now approaching the ancient building via his Arwing. The others were following him in a beaten but functional Landmaster piloted by Peppy.

"_Falco,_" Lillian whispered inside the pilot's mind, "_Is there something that you need to tell me?_"

"Yeah. I got to tell you a couple of things, actually. First, the Great Fox is out of commission due to a power failure; I don't know what the hell was responsible for that, but Lucario claimed it was because of an enemy from behind… which we couldn't see. I swear, if it was a Lord that zapped the ship…"

"_Maybe the Great Fox must have experienced a mechanical problem. That's one possible explanation for the sudden loss of power._"

Falco groaned angrily at the words sent to his ears. That possibility was certainly not true. "A week ago, Fox checked up on the ship's systems and everything turned out fine. How the hell can a ship suddenly go on the fritz without some sort of major malfunction beforehand?"

A soft sigh was heard before Lillian resumed the conversation. "_I am not saying that my belief is true. That is only one out of many possibilities, but since you've mentioned the inspection performed by Fox, it does seem unlikely that the ship would shut down unless there was a problem. Now, anything else you want to tell me?_"

"Yes. We've located a temple on the planet. The front is decorated with an insignia that has a lion and roses inside of it. Call me crazy, but I think the staff piece is inside."

"_A temple with an insignia, you say? That is definitely the piece's resting place. Numerous accounts from ancient times have stated that a temple embedded with the kingdom's emblem was forged on a life-threatening planet to prevent evildoers from completing the staff._"

"Okay. I'm gonna go pick up the piece and then get the hell out of this wasteland. Tell Master Hand to get a portal ready as soon as possible."

"_I will. Just try not to get yourself killed while he does so._"

With no more words to be spoken, Falco continued his journey to the temple. The greenish gas still continued to inhibit his vision, but it failed to stop him from successfully landing his Arwing close to the front of the deserted building. When the ship's transparent hatch opened up, everything was suddenly silent. There was no wind to carry whatever was capable of rolling across the ground, no rustling, no active Arwing engine, nothing at all. The suit on the pilot's body only served to further suppress any possible sounds, however meager they were. This lack of audio, in Falco's mind, was very appropriate for a death-ridden world like Venom. With no way of sustaining life, there was certainly almost no chance of any activity, natural or otherwise, to occur at any time. It was something of a noiseless hell to him; while he was never religious to begin with, he had sometimes imagined what the world of damnation would be like, even if the concept of such was too outlandish for him. Maybe this would be his answer, even he had never pondered about this during his first trip to the planet.

"Once I get the piece, I could probably say to my friends that I just went to Hell and back, more than once to be exact," he chuckled bitterly. With his vehicle locked up, he proceeded to approach the temple in a slow manner, keeping his blaster in hand for emergency situations. A few meters away, the Landmaster was closing in on his position.

"Okay, everyone," Peppy announced, "Get ready to disembark."

"I'll stay here to watch over Lucas," Sonic commented. "He's… still not doing well."

"Marcus and I will stay as well," Krystal added, fearing for her child's safety.

With no other comment, most of the passengers obeyed Peppy's order immediately as the vehicle slowly came to a halt.

* * *

The windowless interior of the temple, isolated from the morbid sight of Venom, expanded upon the beauty of the exterior to a great degree. The metallic doors were coated with a chrome layer that provided immunity against the air's ability to cause rusting, resulting in a magnificent appearance that managed to remain unchanged with the passage of time. Silver and golden lights were dotted across the normally subdued hall to give a stark contrast between light and darkness. The floor was branded with the same insignia printed on the exterior of the building, albeit with a shade of gold instead of silver. Simply put, it was an eye-catching sight that had the potential to attract many observers, even with the gases of Venom running amok.

"_The piece cannot hide from me forever,_" Lars sighed, examining every possible spot from every different angle. Even though the massive room appeared to be empty, the captain's instincts were warning him of a hidden feature within this building, one that just might expose what he was currently searching for. The search had only lasted for a couple of minutes, but the ghost of time was at work to stretch the period into hours, not in reality but in Lars's mind. It was inevitable that a feeling of impatience would repeatedly strike him like an aching pain that refused to leave.

"_Where are you…_" he groaned softly. Upon realizing that the piece was not likely to be located on this level, he guided himself towards the only other pair of doors in the vicinity; behind it was a stairway that led to the floor above him. Halfway through the ascent, the mysterious man could hear the door slowly shutting, along with the echoes that came with it. However, there was a second sound that he failed notice: a larger doorway slowly opening up.

Back at the ground floor, Falco and his party were in the process of entering the building. The darkness, resisted only by the faint lights on the walls, made it difficult for them to notice the details within the sacred place, but as soon as all eyes were adjusted to the sharp change in lighting, all were left mesmerized.

_Well, holy shit,_ Falco pondered. _The architects really wanted this place to look top-notch, and they actually succeeded._ His body was frozen in place, temporarily unable to be removed from the trance overtaking it. Never had he encountered such beauty in one place; speaking of which, even the Smash Mansion seemed more average-looking in comparison, and that was designed to be one of the beautiful mansions in the multiverse. He was not the only one left unable to move, as the other Smashers were soon affected by the same peaceful curse.

"By Arceus, I've never seen a structure this astonishing…" Lucario gasped. Even its razor-sharp concentration was succumbing to the otherworldly architecture, as the Pokémon soon came to realize.

"Wow," Nana gasped. "This is so beautiful, just like the lights in the arctic skies…"

"I bet it is," Falco concurred. "But we should get going now."

With nothing else to be said, the others followed the avian into the temple. As the doors behind them closed, footsteps and a faint thud were all that shattered the silence. This low-noise environment was quite appropriate for a place that had been abandoned for centuries, maybe even millennia. Due to low light levels, Lucario and Falco were forced to illuminate the group's surroundings with their Aura and blaster-mounted flashlight, respectively. Still, the darkness, now stronger due to the closed doors, was enough to inflict chills upon some of the party members.

"Hey, why does a neat place like this have to be so dark?" Popo mumbled nervously, his voice trembling noticeably.

"The proprietors don't live here anymore, kid," Falco grunted. His flashlight was fixed in front of him, lighting up a nearby door. As he kept it in place, his hand shook for a split second. Maybe he was just being paranoid, but there could be something hiding in this cold, black area. "But otherwise, hell if I know…"

"There doesn't appear to be anything in this area," Lucario sighed. "We should head upstairs; there should be something that will lead us to the piece."

Steps once again echoed continuously, with no end in sight. Falco pulling on the door to the stairway caused a creaking noise to join the world of perpetually reverberating noises, though this did nothing to affect the Smashers in any way. The following ascent was marked by faint lights on both walls, no windows, and a repeated, silvery scenery that was almost continuous. Mainly due to the height of the building, the travel to the next floor was quite long, but not to the point of completely exhausting the adventurers; hopefully, Falco believed, no one was getting tired now. When the group was almost at its destination, however…

"Wait," Falco whispered, suddenly stopping in his tracks, "Did you guys hear something?"

"Beep?" Mr. Game &amp; Watch chirped, confused by the pilot's sudden change in behavior.

"It sounded a lot like a faint thud, like the kind that you hear when something or someone hits the floor hard enough. But, maybe my mind's just playing tricks on me. I mean, it's not like another person's already beaten us to the piece. I want someone in this group to see if I'm correct."

"I can do that," Lucario interjected. Its life-seeking abilities were once again active, this time searching the ancient place for any beings, regardless if they were hostile or harmless. This place was, for the most part, devoid of any life. In fact, only the Smashers were supposed to be here, unless someone else had somehow entered this place before they did. The ground floor was definitely empty, so the only other area to check was the upper floor. Everything was progressing smoothly… until a faint trail of red appeared in the Pokémon's vision. Falco's statement was now incorrect, for there was someone lurking within this temple, but even that was not the most surprising thing.

As luck would have it, this evil force was the same thing that incapacitated the Great Fox a few minutes before.

"There's an enemy in here," Lucario puffed harshly. "And it's the same one that took down the ship. I have a feeling that it's about to steal the piece from this place. We must hurry."

"Are you sure about this?" Peppy grunted. "It could just be something different than-"

Lucario was quick to interrupt the elderly rabbit's comment by placing its right paw close to the latter's face. "There is no time to discuss this, General. We need to head upstairs before it's too late!"

Before the others could mutter a word, the jackal began sprinting up the stairway. Falco groaned for a split second before signaling his allies to repeat what the Pokémon just performed. If this was a false alarm, the pilot pondered, there would be some hell to pay... big time. After a hurried ascent marked by repeating lights and, oddly enough, a mysterious wind, the heroes were introduced to a hall identical to the one from before. There were a few differences at certain points, but that mattered little, for in front of the group was a foe thought to be dead.

"Lars?!" the space ace gasped. He had to be imagining things right now. There was no way that the captain was still standing after suffering total dismemberment. "How are you still alive? I thought I had beaten your ass back at the Great Fox!"

"You clearly have no idea about Återuppliva," was his opponent's response. "It's a spell that allows me and my brethren to regenerate from most injuries. I've realized that you were able to figure out the flaws, with it not being able to withstand burns or dismemberment, but the variant that I have grants me immunity to those elements. I hope you keep that in mind."

"Then why didn't you immediately regenerate after you were torn apart earlier?"

Lars's expression began to darken, with a subtle anger slowly emerging as he spoke. "I wanted to fool you into thinking that I was defeated by you wretched pieces of garbage. This trick gave me the perfect opportunity to put you down once and for all."

"So, you were the one who shot down the Great Fox? Is that what you're saying?"

"Correct. Now, I wanted to ensure that I would get the staff piece without any more interference on your part, but since you've survived the crash, I am left with no choice but to kill all of you. Mark my words; you will not taste victory on this occasion."

Falco let out a loud chuckle before continuing. "Oh, really? You do realize that you're outnumbered, right? Also, we've got some serious firepower outside, serious enough to blow you apart a thousand times over. What have you got to say about that, huh?!"

"Since your arrogance is boiling over, I will gladly offer a response to your bluff." After his response, a now-glowing Lars began to chant in his native language, much to the confusion of the adventurers. Falco was the only exception to this, instead firing off a charged shot from his blaster to interrupt what appeared to be a summoning. This action ended in failure when a shield was conjured to deflect the attack. Now deciding to get physical, Falco rushed forward with his trusty Phantasm, but upon contact with Lars…

_ZAP!_

"YOW!" Falco screamed as he felt a painful wave of energy tear through him. "Oh, that cheating son of a bitch…!"

"PK Flash!" Ness yelled. As he called out his attack, a greenish sphere of raw energy formed over his head and then proceeded to approach Lars at a sluggish pace, all while increasing its luminosity at an exponential rate. The subsequent impact caused a spectacular burst of light that momentarily shattered the darkness, but it failed to inflict any damage. As the others joined in the assault, an inexplicable rumbling was slowly gripping the sacred place. It was not initially felt by anyone, but it quickly intensified to where some of the heroes were nearly swept off their feet.

"What's happening?" Popo gasped, fearful of the possible threat approaching the group.

"Something is approaching us, and fast…" Lucario muttered, noticing a dark force approaching from outside the temple. But before it could command its fellow fighters into ducking, the far wall suddenly shattered into several pieces, revealing the new threat.

"My fucking goodness, that thing's ugly as shit," Falco grunted. The monster ahead was a pale-skinned creature with features that would best suit a demon from a hellish world. Razor-sharp teeth littered the interior of the mouth, something commonly witnessed in other hostile beings, and they appeared to be sharp enough to completely tear through flesh and bone. Its eyes were a bloodshot red, much like the color that would appear after crying, but far more exaggerated and certainly more demonic. The top of its head was decorated with two white horns that pointed sharply towards the dark skies above. Aside from color, they appeared to be something that many demonic creatures would often be depicted with. The smooth body was very muscular, rivaling and even surpassing the strongest beings of the combined multiverse; even Ganondorf would be put to shame if he was to be used as a comparison. Finally, there were claws attached to its fingers. Though short-ranged, they appeared to be just as sharp as the teeth, if not sharper.

"What is… that?" a very nervous Peppy croaked. Even with all of his experience, he had never witnessed a monster this vicious. In all honesty, it was making the entire collection of Andross's bioweapons look like mere toys in comparison.

"Something very big…" Nana whimpered.

"…and something very pissed off," Falco continued, preparing for the incoming battle.

"And this is not all that you will have to face," Lars growled. Upon pressing his hands together, an ironically heavenly light began to surround his body. A few seconds passed before the transformation was complete, and the results completely left the adventurers in even greater shock. With his robe gone, Lars was now clothed in cobalt-colored armor from head to toe. The only opening was on the front of the helmet, its only purpose being to provide eyesight; this was definitely a problem for the captain's enemies, since there was almost no way to cause burns or inflict dismembering blows. The aesthetic visuals of the suit seemed more modern than the medieval era of knights, but at the same time, it was too ancient to be considered part of the current time period of today. If anything, it appeared to be something out of a steampunk film, as Falco led himself to believe. Besides the armor, Lars was now in possession of a claymore, a long blade capable of slicing off multiple heads at once.

"What a grueling battle this is going to be," Lucario spat.

"Okay," Falco interjected, "Let's just cut the bullshit and get this over with. I really want to get the piece and leave this damn place for good. Lars, I hope your ass gets slaughtered during this fight. I really do."

"Really?" Lars sneered. "Okay then… Prepare to fight!"

Both sides approached each other, ready to risk life and limb for the still-hidden piece…

* * *

_Okay, where did that monster come from? I don't understand how Lars was able to find that thing and bring it under control, nor can I grasp the concept of the Lords having so much up their sleeves to where they can pretty much destroy a world faster than anyone can say "game over". There's just a good number of things that have not yet been explained to us. I really hope Lillian can reveal more to us; that way, we can stop those guys more efficiently._

_And another thing, I really hope Lucas stays safe during this battle. That creature looks like it can rip up a tank in seconds._

_-Ness_

* * *

**Writer's block and college… I really hate those two things because they really impede with my work on this story… Though on a good note, I won't have to deal with the latter for a while.**

**So, the piece is indeed in the temple, but where exactly it is resting is something that will be revealed in the next chapter, which is also the finale for Falco's theatre. There is also going be something else that will to be important to the story.**

**R&amp;R, as usual.**


	12. Falco's Theatre: Finale

Falco's Theatre (finale): Space Ace Versus Dark Magician

* * *

**It's time to close the book on Falco's theatre. Will the proud space ace and his group defeat Lars and his monster? Well, let's take a look. **

**Hands off my prey!**

* * *

_Lies…_

_They are used to manipulate others into believing or doing certain things…_

_Everyday life sees most acts of dishonesty as minor, incapable of causing any serious damage…_

_But when used either in excess or for very malicious purposes, they can cause a near-unavoidable chain of events that will ultimately prove disastrous…_

_The art of lying has spawned the possible actions of fraud and betrayal, which have resulted in shattered relationships as well as deep hatred from the betrayed…_

_It is one of the many things that can cause the downward spiral of an individual…_

_It is also one of the weapons an evil person will use to exact revenge…_

* * *

"Let's go, motherfucker!" Falco shouted. As soon as he stopped speaking, he tossed his reflector towards Lars for very low knockback and negligible damage. In response, Lars and his monster leaped into the air to approach the fighters, preparing to attack. Ness conjured his PK Thunder to zap the captain, but the claymore acted as the sponge that would absorb the electrical projectile.

"That will not work," Lars hissed. His claymore reached out to behead Ness and Popo, but well-timed ducking ensured that the metallic predator was not about to claim any sort of prey, at least not yet. Fueled by its Aura, Lucario utilized Close Combat, a flurry of rapid-fire strikes that was never witnessed in Smash battles because of moveset restrictions imposed by Master Hand. The assault caused a few minor dents in Lars's armor, but it also imposed a slight amount of recoil damage to the Pokémon. The mysterious captain quickly unleashed a diagonal slash, but the end result was only a small mark on his opponent's suit when the killing blow was narrowly avoided. Falco rushed in with a blazing Fire Bird; while it was enough to knock the elder down, it failed to cause any significant damage. Meanwhile, the monster successfully slashed Mr. Game &amp; Watch, Popo, and Ness, with noticeable results.

"Beep!" the flat man exclaimed, the claws tearing across his two-dimensional figure. As new wounds were etched, the front of his now-bloodied suit suffered serious scratches that were large enough to let a small amount of Venom's gases seep in. The flat man was not too worried, however. From the way that it was designed, the suit, while a tad bit loose, was tight enough around the neck to prevent toxins from entering his nostrils unless the sealed helmet was breached. Hopefully, the monster would not do something like that, he pondered. Meanwhile, on one side of the battlefield, the sight of the monster was causing one member to absolutely freak out.

"Oh, I gotta get out of here!" Slippy squealed as he retreated to the only doorway in the room. As he sprinted like mad, he was immediately noticed by Peppy, who was in the middle of preparing for the fight.

"Where are you doing, Slippy?!" the general shouted. "Are you trying to abandon us?"

"Sorry, that monster is just too scary for me to handle. I'm gonna head back to the Landmaster and stay there. Good luck with the fight."

"Damn it, get back here now!" But it was already too late. Slippy had already stumbled out of the area. This left him angered right off the bat; there was no way in Hell that this form of insubordination was acceptable. If anything, it was absolutely shameful to cower away from the battle when the fate of the multiverse was at stake. But upon realizing that the frog had no weapons on him, the boiling heat within his mind began to fade. Maybe Slippy did have a reason to retreat after all, he believed, but there would still be a stern warning for him later. Right now, he had to be focused on the monster that was ready to commence the shedding of blood.

"Let's go, Nana," Popo ordered. The two young Smashers sprinted towards their aggressor's feet and used a strange form of chilling magic to freeze them solid. It was no good, as the ice was immediately defeated by the monster's brute strength. Another claw swipe came flying towards them, but this attack failed to cut through flesh or clothing. Ness hoisted several rounds of PK Fire and roasted his opponent for a few seconds, with noticeable burns to boot. This image gave the psychic an idea.

"Maybe that thing's weak to fire," he muttered. "I ought to tell the others about this." Before he could, however, the wounds began to heal at a slow pace. Maybe a stronger variant of Återuppliva was being used by this creature, he believed. But was it as powerful as what Lars's?

_WHOOSH!_

Ness was unable to further focus on the question, for within the next blink of an eye, a clawed hand rushed towards like a furious assortment of short blades. Barely sidestepping in time, he felt a horizontal cut being painfully scratched into his skin and suit. An urge to scream filled his mind, and his willpower was the only thing preventing said urge from becoming a completed action. Preparing his PK Thunder for battle, he suddenly received a quick dose of assistance from Peppy, who had just drawn a blaster from one of his pockets. The elderly general's aim was shaky, in part due to declining motor skills, but it did not stop him from landing a single blow to one of the monster's eyes. The creature growled slightly as it clenched the affected area in pain, leaving itself vulnerable to Mr. Game &amp; Watch's Judgment attack. The sign in the flat man's hands revealed the number six, which left behind several burns on his opponent's skin. Both Ice Climbers launched small icicles with their hammers to freeze up their enemy, but a single stomp cut the attack short.

"Uh oh…" Nana gasped, just seconds before a monstrous fist sent her flying backwards. As she soared throughout the hall, she noticed Falco getting brutally slammed into the floor by Lars.

"You will not get the piece before I do," the captain hissed. As he spoke, he had the ace pilot in a chokehold tight enough to cause strangulation. It would seem that Falco was about to turn a hundred shades of blue before his death was to come. With his claymore in the other hand, he prepared to set up an execution-style killing, but failed to account for a laser shot aimed straight for the eyes. In seconds, he was blinded completely and left at the mercy of a Falco Phantasm aimed right at him. His form stumbled backwards onto the floor, but was quick enough to recover before further punishment could be delivered. Lucario attempted to utilize its Force Palm, but it was interrupted when the captain slashed it across the right arm.

_SLASH!_

"Ugh…!" the Pokémon grunted. Blood started to soak a part of its suit as it began to speak. "You may be stronger than before, but our team will still triumph over you and your pet. Now, witness the mighty power of Aura."

"The power of Aura, you say?" Lars responded, smirking with confidence. "Show me."

"I will." Determined to prove its claim, Lucario delivered a long burst of punches and kicks, all fueled by the aforementioned power. The elderly man did not flinch throughout the assault, though dents in his armor were beginning to take shape. He soon started to laugh at the Pokémon's attempt to topple him over; maybe the power of Aura was not so powerful after all, he pondered. Not wasting any more time, he swept Lucario off its feet with a low kick, one that was powerful enough to break bones, before following it up with a punch that caused instant dizziness. With the world around it temporarily spinning out of control, Lucario's attempt to launch an Aura Sphere resulted in the projectile missing Lars by several centimeters. The Aura master was then struck with a horizontal sword swing aimed at its legs.

"Your Aura is laughable," Lars grunted, preparing for another swing.

"Damn, my standard PK Fire isn't cutting it," Ness puffed, noticing that the monster was not visibly affected by his previous move. "I'll need to try something different." Conjuring an altered bolt in his hands, Ness unleashed a recently-learned variant of his fiery attack known as PK Bonfire. In comparison to the original version, the flames were more intense and covered a larger area, although Ness had to take a risky, closer-ranged approach in order to hit with the move. The monster roared as this hotter fire scorched its normally-resilient skin, with visible burns expanding at a surprisingly fast rate. Adding to this inferno was Mr. Game &amp; Watch, whose frying pan was filled with sausages dipped in flaming oil. While the projectiles were not effective in striking their intended target, they did serve as makeshift landmines, burning the creature's feet whenever possible.

"Beep-beep," he chirped. Sailing upwards with his parachute, he proceeded to dump the oil onto the creature's eyes. The result was a partially-fried face, a moment of blindness, and a sudden roar that nearly shattered the sound barrier. To prevent the loss of all hearing, most of the Smashers and Peppy had to cover their ears; only Lucario, who was about to launch Lars, was unable to do so.

"What the fuck…" Falco growled as the horrible noise echoed across the hall.

"Now I gotcha," Peppy quipped. Taking a steady aim with his blaster, he fired straight at his adversary's eyes, which only served to worsen the bout of blindness. With aggression levels rising, the monster began swinging one of its arms right in front of it, slapping away both of the fleeing Ice Climbers and the less-than-agile general. The latter was sent rolling into the doorway that the group used to enter this holy place; the subsequent impact was, needless to say, very painful. His back was suddenly pierced by swarm of imaginary needles while his head was plagued by a massive, long-lasting ache that threatened to incapacitate him.

"I think I'm gonna be sick…" he moaned. It was already obvious to him that he would not be able to withstand as much punishment as the more resilient Smashers, but this… This pain was beyond excruciating. In fact, it somewhat reminded him of the injuries he had sustained when former ally Pigma Dengar betrayed him and James McCloud to Andross; those were still fresh in his mind despite the many years that had passed, and they would still bring him discomfort. It also did not help that the monster was closing in on him for another blow, even with the blindness. Fear shot up his spine as stared upwards. If this kept up, he would be dead in a matter of seconds.

But, wait. There was a Landmaster outside, ready to be utilized. Maybe it would powerful enough to off the abomination from the netherworld, and it would certain protect him from any further injury. So why was he staying in here? There could be a large number of explanations for this, but it all led up to the most plausible one of all; he feared that if he exited this temple right now, he would likely be condemning his fellow adventurers, especially Falco, to death. But right now, there was no other alternative available. The powerful vehicle was his best bet in killing his deadly attacker.

"I better head back," he muttered before limping out of the room.

"Geez," Falco groaned, "You just had to make this fight so damn difficult, didn't you?" The space ace, along with Lucario, was not making progress with defeating Lars. No matter what was being thrown at him, he was unable to be permanently put down thanks to his armor. The Fire Bird maneuver was fiery, but lacked the sufficient amount of heat required to cause any sort of melting. The various blaster settings did almost nothing, even with the strongest of such zapping cold steel. Meanwhile, Lucario's fighting skills were able to cause several more dents, but they, just like Falco's attacks, were too weak. This was strange to the jackal-like Pokémon, as it was widespread fact in its native world that Fighting-type creatures were very effective against steel. This metal had to be enhanced in some way; otherwise it would have given out a long time ago. Lars, on the other hand, had already inflicted a significant beating to both Smashers, for his brutal melee attacks and long-reaching sword attacks were more than enough to result in noticeable blood loss and beaten bodies.

"Do not expect any mercy from me," Lars grunted. He prepared to skewer the space ace with a thrusting motion, but the attack was avoided by a backflip into the air.

"I don't expect you to be gentle on us," Falco spat. "If retrieving the piece, and killing you, means busting my ass, then I'll freaking do it." Following his statement, he tossed his reflector again, this time with boosted hitting power and a shade of violet replacing the usual light blue, and it successfully staggered the captain. Lucario, capitalizing on a moment of weakness, launched an Aura Sphere right at the suit's helmet. As expected, this particular projectile was boosted by its user's injuries and inflicted a larger dent that nearly touched Lars's face inside. The gap on the front was distorted into a misshapen curve that was marked by sloppy borders and burnt coloring, with both features contrasting with the rest of the armor's appearance. Lars, undeterred by the attack, unleashed a chilling spell that coated a large part of the floor in ice. With their boots failing to provide any traction, Falco and Lucario were clumsy ice skaters for a meager amount of time before falling flat on their backs. Getting back up was a serious pain, as their hands began slipping all over the place the instant they placed their weight against the ground.

"Dear Arceus…" Lucario grunted as it struggled to stand back up. Falco immediately engaged his Fire Bird to thaw out the ice and attack Lars simultaneously, but while the former purpose was achieved, the latter was forced out of reach when Lars conjured a force field for his own protection. A painful sensation tore the pilot's body as his head was nearly busted from the heavy impact, leaving him vulnerable to a palm strike fueled by the clouded essence of darkness.

"Damn!" Falco cursed, clutching his head as he attempted to recover. Meanwhile, Lucario was able to regain its composure, but not without having a shining blade flying straight towards its neck. At the last possible moment, the Pokémon triggered its Double Team and pummeled the aggressive man from behind, forcing a large portion of armor to cave in. It then performed a disarming kick that sent the sword flying a good distance away from its user, right towards the group dealing with the monster.

* * *

_Outside the temple…_

"Better get the thing started up, and fast," Peppy puffed. Without thinking twice, he opened up the Landmaster's primary hatch and leaped right into the interior, where the McClouds, Slippy, Sonic, and Lucas were waiting. Right away, their interpretation of Peppy's frantic expression screamed to them that something was terribly wrong.

"What's going on, General Peppy?" Marcus asked.

"The others are in serious trouble," the general gasped. "That Lars fellow is inside the temple and he's got a huge monster with him. That ugly thing's shrugging off almost everything that we've been throwing at it, and we're gonna lose a huge chunk of our group if we don't get this damn thing inside. Hang on tight; it's gonna be a rough ride."

"It's true," Slippy stammered. He was still trying to recover from his bout of shock. "There is one inside!"

"And just when I thought that Slippy was making things up…" Sonic muttered. "How big is it?"

"Big enough to slaughter an entire army." The general, having started the ignition sequence, proceeded to guide the ground-oriented vehicle of Star Fox towards the temple. Near the entryway, he engaged the underbody's jets to enter the gap created by the enemy, which was located several hundred meters above.

"Let's give it to 'em," Peppy grunted, preparing the main cannon for combat.

"How tough is this thing?!" Ness gasped. It was now clear to him that his attacks, coupled with attacks from the Smashers not dealing with Lars, were insufficient in dealing any serious damage to the white monster. Even the burning essence of fire, which was one of Återuppliva's supposed weaknesses, was not powerful enough. On the other hand, the monster was pummeling the fighters with little effort on its part. It had already delivered a massive pummeling to Mr. Game &amp; Watch, which ended in him being crushed into the center of the floor, and was now close to ripping apart the Ice Climbers. Popo, in particular, appeared to be moderately beaten as his body was decorated with bruises, obscured only by the suit, and cuts, with blood staining his suit in certain areas. This situation was already beginning to look very bleak, with no hope in plain sight.

"Oh, no you don't," Nana interjected as she narrowly avoided a kick. She proceeded to freeze one of the creature's hands before aiming her hammer at one of the razor-tipped fingers. Much to her surprise, the finger was instantly dismembered into frozen chunks of gore that painted parts of the floor a faint black, while the monster growled painfully as it began to bleed slowly. Another attack was made on another finger, but Nana was slapped down before she was even close to swinging her hammer. Meanwhile, Popo suddenly noticed that Lars's sword was lying in the middle of the room, with no one in possession of it. The sight of it gave the young Eskimo an idea.

_If I can get the sword, then maybe I can use it to defeat the monster_, he wondered. Spiriting very quickly to avoid detection by Lars, he lifted the heavy blade and rushed back to where his group was, only to jump and plunge his new weapon deep into his adversary's back. As the tip emerged from the abdomen, a vicious roar echoed throughout the hall once again, but this occasion was far more intense to the point where the mere sound of it all would likely cause the temple to implode. As most of the Smashers were busy, they were not able to shield their ears in time to avoid a stabbing pain. Continuing his assault, Popo yanked the blade out and guided it towards the previously-frozen hand, which only led up to even more pieces of chilled flesh striking the stone-forged ground like tiny pieces of hail. Blood was now gushing out at a very quick rate, with a few drops even falling upon a few of the Smashers, much to their disgust.

"Yuck," Nana groaned, desperately attempting to wipe the mess off her suit. Such an action, however, left her open to a far-reaching slap which launched her right into where the now-revived Mr. Game &amp; Watch was at. As she slowly stood back up, she noticed a large object emerging from the hole in the far wall; it was initially hard for her to discern due to the earlier slap inflicting a dizzy spell, but as she took a closer approach, this new thing was in the shape of a tank. It possessed a blue coloring on several areas and was branded with a winged fox on both sides.

As luck would have it, it was a Landmaster. Furthermore, it was the very same one that Peppy previously parked outside of the building. All belligerents temporarily stopped their fighting as they too began to notice the war machine entering sacred grounds.

"Looks like I've hit the jackpot today," Falco chirped. To him, this battle was definitely going to be in his favor from here on out. There was no way that Lars and his precious pet would survive the full wrath of the Landmaster.

"A desperate move at a desperate time," Lars snarled. "But your vehicle will still not save you from the power of the Orm's Lords. The staff piece will not fall into your wretched hands."

"Save it, big guy. I'll personally make sure that you and your oh-so-obedient creature get blasted back to the darkness from where you came." Hopping into the vehicle, Falco proceeded to take command and aimed the cannon straight at Lars himself.

_BOOM!_

A massive, energy-based shot was fired and a large explosion rocked the place like it was made out of something weaker than ancient stone. Lars was instantly thrown out of the building, creating another hole on the temple's normally-durable walls. As he soared through the air, he felt a significant amount of pain spreading through his body like a disease, especially in the chest area where his armor had completely caved in. The broken metal was now a sharp makeshift guillotine that was aimed for his upper torso, as opposed to the more traditional type which decapitated those who fell to its terror. The blood loss was serious enough, but it was partially defeated by the metal, which prevented the captain's vessels from ejecting the life-sustaining substance at a faster rate. Plus, he had Återuppliva to help him with the healing process; this injury would not be capable of killing him.

_THUD!_

The sudden impact with the ground caused a loud bang that rattled the captain's ears, though it was not necessarily harsh enough to cause hearing loss. The earlier chest injury inflicted slightly more pain as the metal jerked upwards, partially exposing a few internal organs.

"So, that machine can tear through my armor…" he sighed, albeit with a shaky tone of voice. As he recovered, three more shots rang through the quiet world of Venom. This time, it was his monster that took the punishing blows, causing it to suffer the same fate as its master, albeit not as badly due to being sent a shorter distance. Once it struck the barren ground with a loud thud, Lars noticed that there was a massive burn on its chest, the area itself marked by numerous shades of red and black. It was something that would have disturbed any normal person, with its grotesque nature considered, but Lars was no stranger to watching bodily injury; it fact, he was used to it because of his experiences of slaughtering people. A low growl was heard as the monster slowly stood back up. As it did so, a faint whoosh was heard from the distance.

"So this is how it's going to be," Lars whispered, staring at the approaching Landmaster. By now, all of the Smashers were now inside, having made their entry after the monstrosity was launched by the high-velocity blasts. Dead set on obtaining the staff piece, Falco once again aimed the cannon. This time, it was set to kill both members of the dark duo.

"This is already too easy for me," he spat. "Once I'm done with these two, I'll get the piece in no time at all." With the press of a button, a third shot soared across the poisonous air…

_BOOM!_

…and devastated the area where the hostiles were glued to. With smoke and dirt in the air, it was difficult to tell whether or not the targets were still standing. Hopefully, Falco thought, they were good as dead. Seconds passed, but no movement was present in Falco's eyes. Tension and patience clashed with each other as the others joined him in the sightseeing process, unsure of the shot's success.

"Did you get them?" Sonic asked.

"I hope so," Falco grunted. But at that moment, an electrical orb sprang from the dust and came so close to striking the futuristic vehicle, only to miss by a few centimeters. By a stroke of misfortune, both enemies had survived the very damaging blow, with Lars utilizing a shield to protect himself and the monster merely shrugging the damage off despite its skin appeared more charred than ever. Reactions to this were filled with confusion and anger, with an especially severe one coming from Falco.

"How the fuck is that monster still standing?!" he yelled. By this point, he was slamming his fists against the dashboard. The spirit of frustration was now taking root in his mind, as the others were quick to observe. "What will it take to freaking put it down?!"

"I don't know," Peppy grumbled, "But we better find a way to put it and its master down before they get to the Landmaster and destroy us all."

"Wait a minute," Popo chirped, "The sword is beginning to vanish."

"What?" Before the general could say anything else, he noticed that the Esmiko's temporary weapon was beginning to fade into thin air. All stared in confusion as they tried to figure out what was causing this strange event to unravel. It had to be reacting to something, but what? Was it Lars? No one figured out the answer right away, for the sword had completely disappeared within the next minute.

"Where did it go?" Popo mumbled. "Aw, now I won't be able to take that monster down in case this Landmaster goes into flames."

"You got me," Sonic answered. Nothing else was said for the next seconds as all those inside were wrapped in the mist of confusion, but this moment did not last for long. Lucario gasped as it suddenly noticed a change in the front monitor's image. As the others gathered around the Pokémon, they were also able to witness what was occurring outside. A glow was appearing in front of Lars's hands, as if he was summoning something from another dimension, which he was. Within the brightness was an object that held a very vague shape; the bright light initially made it difficult for the adventurers to tell just what the captain was trying to retrieve, but after waiting for a moment, the appearing item began to resemble a silvery blade with a large handle better suited for two-handed strikes. It was at that point that the object was soon recognized.

"That's the sword," Peppy gasped. "How did he do that?"

"Maybe he has a special connection with the sword," Krystal remarked. "I believe it has to do with some form of telekinesis, where he can manipulate his weapon using his mind."

"Beep?" Mr. Game &amp; Watch questioned.

"I am a psychic, so I know how mental connections work."

"Okay, enough talk," Falco interrupted. "Let's just finish this fight and go back to the Smash Mansion. The sooner we kill Lars, the better." The avian engaged the Landmaster's long treads to approach his enemies and attempted to mow down Lars, but a quick teleportation maneuver made the attack useless. After doing a quick barrel roll to avoid receiving a counterattack, Falco attempted another ram maneuver, this time aiming for the pale-skinned creature. It was almost successful, but at the last possible moment, the vehicle was halted by the abomination's raw strength. Both sides, with their opposing forces of motion, were now locked in a stalemate that had no end in clear sight. The Landmaster's treads were grinding against the cold, dead ground to launch a million pieces of dirt into the deadly air, while the monster's feet were receiving minor scrapes that were easily healed by Återuppliva.

"We got it now," the pilot chirped. He was ready to fire the main cannon, but as his finger approached the button, the tank was suddenly struck with an energy wave that caused all equipment to temporarily shut down.

"What's happening?" Lucas croaked. As the vehicle was suddenly hoisted into the air, he clutched his hands onto one of the seats, but his weakened state meant that performing this task was more difficult. Most of the other adventurers were forced into the ground without a window for reaction, save for Falco, whose feathered hands were tightly grasping the dashboard. He repeatedly mashed the firing button, hoping that the cannon would eventually obliterate the monster's face, but it was already too late to stop the tank from being tossed like a baseball. While in the air, a shot was fired when all the electrical equipment was restored, but it was way off-target to land a straight hit, instead striking the nearby temple. With a loud slam, the Landmaster rolled around several times, tossing all of its occupants around in a very erratic manner. Slippy screamed hysterically as the possibility of death shattered whatever sanity was left in his mind. Falco and Peppy released a barrage of curses each time they bruised themselves against the walls and ceiling. Lucas, with little strength left in him, succumbed to extreme forces and was left at the very mercy of his earlier injuries, which were threatening to be even worse than ever before. Marcus whimpered loudly and desperately attached himself to his mother in order to receiver her protection. Sonic utilized his fast speed to keep with the vehicle's rotation, and he was doing fairly well… until he accidentally collided into Lucario. Mr. Game &amp; Watch plunged his key into one of the seats, but the severity of the rotation ensured that his grip would not last for long, especially when his two-dimensional body was weaker than what most other Smashers could provide.

_BLAM!_

The Landmaster was once again in the air. This time, it was launched by Lars, as Falco noticed on the front monitor for a fraction of a second. Then, an assumption hit the pilot's mind; the vehicle malfunctioning was likely the captain's work, as there were no existing mechanical problems prior to being deployed. In fact, maybe he had used a weapon similar to the one that disabled the Great Fox, but there was no time to think this over due to the imminent danger. With fast reflexes, Falco engaged the thrusters to prevent the descent from being seriously damaging. In the meantime, he fired one shot right into the monster's eyes before turning his attention to Lars.

"Say goodnight, buddy," the pilot spat. Four shots were fired in rapid succession and all struck the area ahead. A magical shield blocked out the first shot with no problem, but it was badly weakened by the second and third. On the fourth, it completely collapsed and allowed Lars to get blown away. By this point, the elderly man's armor was on the verge of completely breaking down, with some of the pieces either missing or severely weakened to where they could no longer offer adequate protection. His now- discolored sword was also beaten, as its straight length had been bent sideways by extreme forces. Unable to see anything through the bent slit, Lars disposed of his helmet. Meanwhile, the monster's blindness was now permanent due to its eyes being vaporized by the earlier cannon shot. As a result, it began to swing its arms back and forward in a desperate attempt to slice something up, albeit with a more aggressive approach than last time.

"Peppy, I need you to take control of the Landmaster," Falco ordered, abandoning his position as driver. "Fry that damn monster to a crisp while I go take care of Lars."

"Are you sure about this?" Peppy asked. "I hope you're not underestimating that wretched man. If you can't beat him on your own, then-"

"I know what I'm doing, sir. Besides, that fool's armor looks like it's about to break down. Granted, I can't kill him because of that regeneration spell, but if I can at least put him down, it should make getting the piece easier."

Not willing to argue anymore, the general accepted the pilot's decision to attack the captain on his own. "Okay, but be careful. I'd hate to drag your dead body back to the Smash Mansion."

"Gotcha." Falco leaped out of the Landmaster and prepared to confront the captain in a duel to the death. Setting his blaster to maximum power, he took one slow breath before the bloodshed was to start.

"Are you ready to die, bird?" Lars taunted. "Are you asking to be consumed by the full wrath of the Lords?"

"Sorry, pal," Falco responded, "But it will be a million years before you even get the chance to kick my ass." Rushing forward with his Phantasm, Falco hammered Lars in the head before proceeding to shoot a part of his armor off. Lars attempted to conjure another shield, but he was instantly stopped by a reflector aimed for his face. His luck would, however, receive a short breather when he delivered an earth-shattering punch that launched the pilot into the air, followed by a water-based attack that tossed him as if he were nothing more than a mere ragdoll.

"What was that about "a million years" again?" Lars whispered. As he pummeled his opponent with final wave, he tapped into his raw strength to straighten out his sword for the damning blow that was to be inflicted. With victory in sight, he prepared to stab the avian to let the blood drain from his body, slowly and painfully.

"I don't think so," Falco snarled, knocking his assailant upwards with a flipping kick. He then fired off several shots from his blaster, with the majority of them striking weakened metal and beaten clothing. Lars was decorated with bloody holes in his body by the time he collided with the lifeless earth of Venom, but Återuppliva was able to act a barrier between him and a gruesome death. Cells and organs regenerated like mad, and before Falco could reach closer ranges again, the captain was on his feet, as if nothing ever happened. However, his armor was now reduced to a shoddy assortment of steel pieces that could not provide protection anymore; taking its place was a greenish suit that consisted of a long-sleeved shirt with buttons running down the middle, complete with a darker, no-button layer underneath, long pants that reached down to the wearer's feet, leather boots, and a belt that was decorated with the color of coal. The captain attempted a stabbing attack that nearly pierced Falco's suit, but this was countered by a slam-chop motion that knocked the sword out of his hands.

* * *

"Get some!" Peppy interjected, firing round after round of blistering pain. He also utilized barrel rolls to trip the white monster, mainly to ensure that it did not get the upper hand.

"Hey, you know what I just noticed?" Ness muttered to Sonic, adjusting his cap by a slight amount.

"What is it about?" the blue hedgehog responded.

"How come Lars is able to survive the atmosphere of Venom without any protective equipment? I mean, you must have noticed that he's not suffering from any ill effects whatsoever, right?"

"Yeah. Come to think of it, the monster isn't getting poisoned either. I wonder if they're using any sort of magic to protect them from the sickening atmosphere. Do you think Återuppliva has something to do this? I mean, I'm not entirely sure about this, but maybe it has the ability to give the user a resistance to hazardous gases."

"That might be true, but we'll just have to wait until-"

_BLAM!_

The horned monster, relying only on its hearing, kicked the Landmaster hard enough to launch it backwards a good distance. Many of the occupants were not prepared for this sudden force, thus causing them to be thrown against the vehicle's interior. Lucas, with his injuries considered, felt massive pain penetrating his frail body, as if someone or something was attempting to completely fry his nerves. Krystal suffered a minor head injury while protecting her only child from real harm.

"This is gonna suck for us," Slippy whined while shivering with fear.

"Geez, will you just shut your mouth for once?" Peppy groaned. As he spoke, he fired off several more shots, this time heading for the handless right arm. Eventually, the explosions took their toll upon the affected area and completely severed the limb. Though not very audible due to the Landmaster's isolated interior, a single roar of pain tore through the soundless landscape as if it was some sort of fast-spreading epidemic of noise. The Smashers did not cover their ears this time as they were not in the line of direct exposure.

"Score of the day: one point for the Landmaster, zero for the monster," the general chuckled. He proceeded to continue his fierce assault, but without any warning, the creature grasped the main cannon and severely bent it sideways. Quick to adapt, Peppy proceeded to mow down his attacker and partially succeeded in this endeavor. What he failed to count on, however, was a pair of horns ripping through the vehicle's underside, preventing any sort of movement and almost impaling Sonic and Nana.

"Damn, that nearly turned me into a skewered hedgehog," Sonic gasped. He repeatedly struck one horn on the side with his Homing Attack, but this failed to stop the creature lifting the tank up with its head. He then attempted to use his blaster, but a sudden jolt caused him to lose his grip on it. Lucario swept in with Close Combat, as did Mr. Game &amp; Watch with his Judgment, but even though they were able to crack the bony extensions by a slight amount, they could not prevent the inevitable fate of being slammed into the ground for perhaps the hundredth time. To make matters even worse, the monster was able to punch holes straight into the normally-durable armor, exposing all occupants inside.

"This is bad…" Peppy gulped. It was now clear to him that he and the others were teetering at the very edge of death. "Hopefully, Falco is doing better than us…"

* * *

Indeed, the pilot was performing better in his fight against Lars, but not by a very large margin. He was fast and evasive enough to avoid fatal or otherwise crippling blows, but the captain's strong endurance and powerful magic prevented him from getting an easy victory in the long run.

"Geez, this battle is taking almost forever," he moaned. "Why can't I just be done with this battle and go home?"

"I have to concur," Lars hissed. "This boredom really is beginning to set in. It would have been easier for me if you'd just surrendered without a fight, but it seems that it is already too late for that." His sword reached out to tear through flesh, but it barely made a scratch against the suit when Falco crouched down and retaliated with a rising uppercut. The counterattack was not very powerful, but it did provide enough time for the pheasant to deliver a flying kick to the head. Both combatants tumbled to the dark ground, the lifeless earth that Venom was composed of, and entered a grappling battle to see who was superior in strength. Being on the top, Falco was in a better position to blow apart a certain cranium with his blaster, which he proceeded to do once he pushed his opponent's arms down.

_ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!_

Shots cracked throughout the dead atmosphere like a whip brutalizing a slave. The visor on Falco's suit grew blacker and blacker as blood splashed upwards. The pilot's teeth were gritted together to form a fierce snarl of aggression, fueled by a desire to win so badly and a temper that was flaring out of control. Bright blue flashes repeated continuously, perhaps to the point where they could cause seizures to certain people.

_ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!_

Falco slowly aimed his blaster downwards to further mutilate Lars's body. Holes were being formed in virtually every spot in flesh and clothing, and with the removal of the arms, the captain could not defend himself properly. As a last resort, he electrified his body, but this did not help the situation because Falco leaped off just in time to avoid having a million volts roast his skin.

"Had enough already, you fuckin' bastard?" the pilot growled. "I can keep this going all day if I have to."

But no verbal answer was presented, for the head had been reduced to a mere puddle. Lars did, however, rise back into a standing position and allowed Återuppliva to repair his ravaged body. Falco attempted to fire his blaster again, but a concentrated electromagnetic pulse from the captain caused the weapon to become useless. This event forced a slight amount of worry into the pilot's mind; with one of his methods of destroying the Lords gone, his primary advantage over the cultists was now smaller, as his only other effective of method, excluding vehicles and assistance from others, was his Fire Bird. It was destructive enough to tear through a crowd if given the chance, but its slow speed during startup and cool-down could leave him open to punishment, especially if the opponent was agile enough to avoid getting incinerated. But this was his only way incapacitating his foe, for now.

"Burn, sucker!" he bellowed. He charged the move much faster than normal and rushed forward with increased speed, but a magical water wave easily defeated the flames and sent him flying sideways.

"Your arrogance continues to blind you to our true power," Lars whispered. "Must I kill you in such a way that involves the complete destruction of your very flesh?"

Falco dusted off the sleeves of his suit before responding to the question. "I would much rather take that fate than bow down to your unholy swarm of cultists."

"It is such a shame to see you resist like this. You and your allies would have made a fine addition to our glorious organization." Once again, the captain thrusted his sword in front of him, and this time, it struck Falco's suit right at the visor. After pulling away, the avian was in absolute shock as he examined what Lars had done; there was now a guaranteed passageway for deadly gases to seep in, and even though it was not too large, it would still prove to be fatal if this could not be rectified. Up until this point in the battle, he was filled with the belief that nothing would go seriously wrong; in fact, he had almost forgotten that he and Lars were fighting in a poisonous environment that was capable of rendering all flora and fauna dead in seconds, and he also had not counted on the captain pulling off such a move like his most recent one, perhaps due to his cocky disposition.

But now, he truly was screwed… unless he could retreat to his Arwing in time.

"Shit…!" he yelled. "Gotta move fast…!"

"There will be no escape for you," Lars puffed, noticing Falco's vulnerability. As the avian used Falco Phantasm to make a quick getaway, Lars plunged his free hand into the hand to force a portion of Venom's ground to explode suddenly and violently. Chunks of varying sizes and shapes rocketed into the air, leaving behind a sunken area where the captain initiated the attack. A rocky rain was now falling upon the dark battlefield, striking the nearly-destroyed Landmaster and reaching as far as the temple's closest wall. Multiple uses of the Phantasm allowed the pilot to remain relatively safe, but just when he was about to reach the temple, the nearby monster delivered a hard slap that overloaded his nerves with agony. Flying at massive speeds, his body was reeling out of control, causing the world around him to become a dark, unrecognizable canvas that swirled continuously. The urge to yell was strangling his mind, and resistance only caused his body to hurt even more.

_THUD!_

Falco was back inside the temple's upper floor, now semi-isolated from teammate and foe alike. As he attempted to stand back up, he realized that his body was beginning to shake, not out of pain, but out of weakness. It was as if his body suddenly could not support his weight as effectively. Also worth noting was the decline of his sharp vision; all objects in the vicinity began to slowly darken and wobble, and clarity was falling away from him like a distant memory. This could only mean one thing.

"These gases are making me ill…" he coughed. Covering the open hole again, he slowly limped towards the hole created by the monster, but stopped in his tracks when he noticed a strange, fairly weak glow emerging from the center of the floor, where Mr. Game &amp; Watch had previously been crushed.

"Wait, that wasn't there before. I'd like to see what's causing it." As he approached the golden light, his vision seemed to regain some bit of clarity due to the intense brightness, with the aforementioned glow acting as some sort of temporary cure for his condition. Pulling away at stone bricks with one hand, he tore through a few layers before he encountered what appeared to be glass shielding a magical object. The item in question was a platinum rod about two meters in length, with an emblem identical to the temple's printed on one side. Its clean appearance, combined with its natural glow, allowed for a shine that would be bright enough to illuminate a small room, such as a stairway. There were holes at each end, likely for installation of certain objects. After several seconds of staring, Falco was reminded of what Lillian had revealed to the Smashers back at the mansion.

* * *

_Sinister as those images were, however, a third image provided comfort to the fighters. In that particular image, a staff forged from platinum was the main focus…_

"_The second piece, the mid-section, is located on a planet in the Lylat System…"_

* * *

"This has to be the staff's middle part," he gasped. Punching through the glass, he stretched his free arm as far as possible before his fingers established contact with the staff piece. As soon as he pulled it out of its resting place, the glow began to slowly fade into nothing, leaving the ground's hidden area dark for the first time in millennia.

"Well, better keep moving now," he sighed. He was about to continue his sprint when his eyes were suddenly locked onto the ceiling above.

"Huh, I wonder why I haven't noticed that before…" Above him was a glass-stained painting of what appeared to be a woman clothed in white. The figure was recognizable by her light blonde hair as well a distinct glow of gold around her body, where were indicators of divine beauty. She was surrounded by what appeared to be the pieces of the Staff of Björn, which were arranged in a perfect circle. The background was filled with the colors of a rainbow, ranging from the brightest of reds to the deepest of purples. This painting obviously looked important, but for what reason…

"Who is that lady?" the pilot whispered to himself. "Ah, I'll just ask Lillian later…"

Leaping out of the gap ahead, Falco tightened his grip on the gap to prevent gases from rushing into his nostrils (which were caused by the high speed of his descent). Just seconds before striking the ground, he engaged his Phantasm to break his fall and land safely next to his personal vehicle. Unlocking the hatch, he leaped into the cockpit and prepared for launch, all while venting foreign air from the system.

"Get ready for an ass-kicking you'll never forget, Lars," he spat.

* * *

With the rock storm and the rampaging monster ripping through solid steel, the Landmaster was now a ticking time bomb that was ready to blow. This was definitely a grim situation, as Peppy so believed. With Falco most likely out of commission and this vehicle getting seriously busted, any easy extermination of the two hostiles was now out of reach.

"We must get out!" he yelled. All obeyed his order without question while avoid vicious attacks from the white-skinned abomination and its distant master. As they scrambled to safely, a massive explosion from behind shattered the sound barrier and created an angry inferno that not only discolored the sickening air, but left horrible burns on the monster's skin. Approaching a steep incline, the adventurers were about start their ascent when Lars created an electrical blast that left behind the effects of bodily paralysis; even Sonic, renowned for his speed, could not outpace the attack.

"Damn it…" Peppy grunted. As the pain faded away, he could feel just how rigid his muscles had become.

"It's over," Lars sneered. A purplish orb began to grow in his hands, with numerous electrical currents closely surrounding it. "Nothing will be able to save you now."

But before he could launch his attack, a plethora of blue lasers suddenly rained upon the captain and his monster. Twisting his head at rapid speeds, he caught a glimpse of his new threat: an Arwing piloted by the one person who posed the greatest threat to his plan.

"Oh, another trick up your sleeve, Falco?" he grunted. His projectile was redirected towards the Arwing, but it was easily avoided by a fast rolling maneuver. In response, the avian launched his final Smart Bomb, with very explosive results. The large sphere of fire overpowered the captain's magical shield then forced upon him a continuous wave of burns that would have been fatal if it were not for regenerative abilities. There was also a large amount of knockback that swept him off his feet, which, of course, would leave him susceptible to follow-ups. As he regained his composure, he felt something wet pouring down his left leg; for all he knew, there was no stab wound around the affected area, so it was close to impossible that the liquid was his own blood. Tension filled his mind as he bent his neck downwards, which transformed into shock as he realized just what was occurring.

"No…" he gasped. A clear substance was streaming out of a small glass vial fixated to his belt. The vial's bottom was shattered into tiny pieces, leaving behind a jaded boundary to mark where the two halves used to be connected. The dull top was still intact, but it was obviously ineffective at keeping the liquid inside. Worry immobilized his mind as he flashed back to a certain conversation with his leader…

* * *

_"_So this is what will help us during our expedition on Venom…_" Lars remarked._

_"_Yes, it will negate all of the atmosphere's negative effects,_" the leader replied. "_Each dose will last for twelve hours, however, so make sure that you and your subordinates take this at least twice a day. While Återuppliva will stop you from getting killed, the gases can severely weaken your body._"_

_Lars clutched his assigned vial before turning to face his commander. "_Okay. I will keep this mind._"_

* * *

Now he was legitimately worried. With no protection against the dangerous atmosphere of Venom, he was going to be forced through a world of hellish agony; it also did not help that his last usage of the substance was around midnight, nearly twelve hours ago. But even so, he still had the ability to wreak havoc in the short amount of time remaining.

"Go get 'em, Falco!" Peppy cheered, realizing who his savior was.

Redirecting his attention to the monster, Falco unleashed a storm of lasers that created hideous burns and bloody openings in the flesh. There was no way for the demonic entity to retaliate because the Arwing was too far up to be attacked, and its master did not fare any better despite having long-ranged magic by his side. The pilot was literally laughing with satisfaction as he watched his opponents struggle against him; this was perhaps a well-deserved retaliation after all the hell they had forced him through, especially for destroying the Great Fox and the Landmaster.

_Now this is going to be easy for me_, he said to himself. After a few overcharged lasers shattered the creature's sharp teeth, he boldly leaped out of his Arwing to enter the digestive tract via a meters-long dive. However, as the dive was unraveling, Lars noticed something very important sticking out of the pilot's jacket.

"The staff piece…!" he yelped. In desperation, he fired off an explosive sphere with homing properties, but Falco, with his sharp eyes and quick reflexes, tossed his reflector to protect himself.

"What is that crazy bird doing?" Slippy muttered, noticing Falco's descent into the mouth of the beast.

"That's… a very good question," Peppy answered. As soon as he stopped speaking, Falco had already entered his mutilated foe in a heartbeat.

* * *

Inside the esophagus of the beast, Falco was sliding down a saliva-drenched path, utilizing his feet and one hand to stabilize himself; his other hand was still pressed against the helmet's gap. While he was not able to smell it due to the suit, there was an extreme stench in the area, and it was so strong that it would likely provoke a vomiting reaction if inhaled. The gases of Venom's atmosphere only exacerbated this due to their heavily detrimental effects.

"Better find some place to attack," he muttered. Utilizing his blaster to tear through a muscle wall, he entered the chest cavity, which was as massive as the being it belonged to. Because of the various organs and the erratic movements outside, it was cramped and somewhat difficult to navigate, even for someone as maneuverable as the ace pilot. To avoid falling off, he had to cling onto the ribs using the full strength of his muscles. The area was also very dark, as there was no strong source of light... except for one. But that particular source turned out to be… the heart?

"What is up with that heart?" he whispered to himself. The pulsating organ was functioning normally, but its appearance was marked by a strangle glow filled by the murky essence of purple; normal hearts were pinkish in color and lacked any sort of light, as Falco was quick to point out. The muscles were not the usual opaque, but instead possessed a translucent layering that appeared to expose the black blood filling the chambers beneath. The pulsating motions were quicker and more frequent, likely due to the monster's crazed state.

"Well, you've managed to survive our attacks so far," the pilot spat, pulling out his now-functional blaster, "But you won't survive this one."

* * *

Lars was beyond frustrated now. His mission of obtaining the staff piece was stuck in a massive downward spiral, and there was almost nothing that he could do to prevent things from getting any worse. His only protection against the gases was gone. His monster was about to meet the inevitable fate of being destroyed from the inside. His army was devastated, and so was the base at Macbeth. There was no doubt in his mind that failure was inevitable.

But… he could still perform one more action to cripple Falco's mission…

"If I cannot have the staff piece, then no one will," he growled. Conjuring a few low-power explosives in his hands, he proceeded to attack the recovering group of fighters. There was no time to avoid or counter the attack, and as a result, each suit's visor was reduced to a mess of glass shards. Marcus and Slippy whimpered as gases began to flow into their suits, while Lucario only gave a harsh stare at the captain.

"Damn it…" Peppy puffed, covering up his mouth and nose. "Cover your mouths…"

"Beep…" Mr. Game &amp; Watch beeped, shielding his airways.

"Just hold your breath," Lucario ordered. While its typing prevented from suffering as much as the others, the gas still placed a stranglehold on its body.

On the other side of the field, the monster suddenly began to writhe in massive pain. Something was damaging it from the inside, and whatever this force was, it was virulent and fast-acting. A loud roar echoed continuously as nerves were overloaded and muscles began to tighten, with the creature sinking to its knees. Clenching the skin was not at all effective, instead only worsening its pain.

"…?" a confused Popo puffed, mouth still closed. Even as his eyes began to water, he paid very close attention to the entire event, recognizing every single detail. The tension in his weakening body spiked when he noticed a faint orange glow emerging from the creature's chest area, which grew brighter with each passing second. Then, before he could even imagine what was to happen next…

_BOOM!_

"FIRE!" Falco bellowed, tearing a hole through his enemy's chest with the heat-filled Fire Bird. His suit was wet with dark blood as he soared with valor, leaving behind a random pattern of white, red, and black. Behind him, the hellish abomination finally succumbed to its injuries, collapsing to the ground with a large thud.

"You will pay dearly…" Lars growled as Venom's gases began to weaken him severely. His vision began to blur into a swirl of dark colors, while his strength declined at an exponential rate.

"Okay, show's over," Falco snorted. With his blaster out, he fired one last shot to reduce the captain's head into a pile of chunks. A smirk of satisfaction stretched across his face; now that Lars was no longer a major threat, the rest of his journey would progress smoothly, with no more threats to be encountered. He continued to enjoy his victory for a while, but soon encountered horror upon seeing his group members fighting for survival.

"What the…!" he gasped. "Oh, damn. I better get Master Hand to create a portal soon." He quickly proceeded to establish a telepathic link with Lillian, who immediately responded to the urgent call.

"_Falco, what is your situation?_" the maiden asked.

"Hey, I need to Master Hand to get a portal ready now. My teammates are about to suffocate from Venom's gases. Their helmets have been breached by Lars."

"_I see that the vital signs of each teammate are beginning to go red, so I'll let Master Hand know right away. It will, however, take a while for him to identify your location._"

Without another word, Falco closed off communications with Lillian. As he waited for the portal to open up, his teammates, against their own will, took a single breath and allowed Venom's toxins to enter their lungs. Their faces became a light blue as time dragged on like molasses, and their eyes were filled with tears, likely due to irritation. Some of the smaller ones, like Marcus and Nana, made strange sounds with their voices, but this was not very noticeable due to their closed mouths. Falco, rapidly losing patience, began to stomp around aggressively; with Lillian being unclear about the time it would take to form a portal, it could already be too late for the group in terms of survival.

"…the fuck's taking him so long?" he snarled. About a minute or two into the wait, a portal embedded with the Smash Mansion's picture appeared several meters away, with Master Hand emerging from it.

"I'll escort the others," the commentator spoke. With one swift motion, he lifted the semi-conscious adventurers off their feet and carried them to safety, while Falco trailed behind in his Arwing. The erratic nature of the portal's interior allowed for massive shaking to rock the bodies of all, especially for those exposed to Venom's gases; even Falco could not keep his Arwing straight because of this. This was not to last, however, for the transition suddenly ended and forced the group back into the safer World of Trophies.

"Is everyone okay?" Master Hand asked.

"I… may need to lie down now," Peppy coughed, weakened by the toxins.

"I have to… concur," Lucario groaned.

The white hand soon led the group members, excluding Falco, into the medical area of the mansion. Meanwhile, Falco parked his Arwing inside the garage, locking the hatch to prevent theft, before traveling to the main foyer in order to speak with Lillian.

"Hey, Lillian," the pilot called, "I got the staff's mid-section for you."

"You did?" the maiden replied. She then noticed Falco holding his staff piece in front of her. "Excellent work, Falco. Now, we just need to wait for the other four groups to get back."

The pilot was about to leave for his room, but froze when he remembered a few things that he encountered during his trip to Venom…

The dark ships…

Lars's monster…

The glass-stained portrait…

The captain suddenly becoming weaker during the final fight...

Maybe the maiden was holding the answers to all these strange mysteries…

"Lillian? I got to ask you a few questions, and I hope you have some insight on them."

"Okay, then. I will answer your questions to the best of my ability."

* * *

Back at Venom, a weakened Lars proceeded to summon his vehicle with a pale green beacon that matched up with the dense gases surrounding him. Within seconds, a ship from several kilometers away approached his position before opening up its access hatch. Using his magic, Lars conjured a portal back to the base of the Orm's Lords.

"This isn't over, Falco…" he whispered before he stepped into his machine. Seconds later, he was no longer in the hazardous world…

* * *

_Geez... I do NOT want to go back to Venom again... That place nearly suffocated me to death..._

_-Lucas_

* * *

**And that's two theatres finished. Three more!**

**Now, in case some of you haven't noticed, the first part of the overall story will go back and forth in time (with one reason being that the groups finish up at different times), so things may seem a little confusing initially. The next chapter will be an intermission that will provide more insight as to what's going on at the Smash Mansion during the earlier theatres.**


	13. Intermission 1

Intermission 1: Through the Earlier Days

* * *

**Here's the first intermission. It's time to see what's been happening at the Smash Mansion for the first couple of days.**

* * *

_Day one, after Falco's arrival…_

"So I've run into a group of ships owned by the Lords on Macbeth while we were investigating what caused Corneria City to be vaporized," Falco sighed. He and Lillian were strolling towards the elegant but empty dining room. "Do you know about this?"

"Yes," Lillian replied. "They are known as the "Drakar" and they are advanced combat-class ships designed for destruction. Since the beginning of our war with the cultists, they have invaded numerous cities in our kingdom and inflicted massive casualties, civilian and soldier alike. A single Drake is fast and difficult to destroy, with durable shields that can withstand weaker attacks and the ability to reach supersonic speeds."

"I've been able to bust their shields with Smart Bombs, so that means they can't withstand stronger things, right?"

"Yes. Excessive force can cause the shield generators to temporarily shut down, leaving the ship vulnerable to opposing fire. Now, another thing to note about the Drakar is that there is a stealth-oriented model called the Svärt Drake; not only does it have a larger variety of weapons, but it can also utilize a cloaking feature that can fool even the most attentive of foes. The outer shell is enhanced with a type of magic that allows it to avoid detection by radar equipment. So far, the only known ways of detecting a Svärt Drake are thermal imaging and life force detection."

After sitting down, Falco dusted his beak off before continuing. "And that's why I couldn't see Lars's ship when I checked up on the Great Fox's radar. That makes a little more sense now."

Lillian gently tugged on her robe to provide more comfort to her body. "What else do you need to ask me about?"

"Um… Do you know anything about the white-skinned monster that Lars owned? It had sharp horns, short claws, and the usual demon crap."

"No, but lately, there has been a rumor in my home realm that the Orm's Lords are attempting to create an army of living demons to wreak havoc upon the otherwise-serene land. Many of us are still unsure if this rumor is true or not, but thanks to your personal encounter, I now have a reason to believe that such creatures exist."

"I think we ought to warn the other groups about this. That would certainly help them out, big time."

But Lillian quickly offered a rebuttal. "Not yet. There is not enough evidence that multiple creatures like the one you've witnessed even exist, unless another group experiences an unlucky run-in. The Lords can be very secretive people…"

"Okay then. Now for the third question; during my fight with Lars, I noticed that he suddenly became weaker near the end, as if something was sapping him of energy, kinda like a leech, y'know? I wonder if you can give an explanation for this."

"There is a potion known as "Pure Air", or "Ren Luft" in my language. It was originally used by my kingdom to allow our army to venture into hazardous gases without dying or suffering negative effects, but it was discontinued due to declining resources. It appears that the Lords are illegally taking resources from our neighboring countries and using them to create Ren Luft for themselves. Lars must have run out of this substance at some point during his time at the Lylat System."

"Nah, Lars is smarter than that. I don't think he would let his vial run low on juice, unless anyone on my team did something to it, which I'm not sure about." Before Falco was about to ask another question, Master Hand floated into the area, ready to let out some important news.

"Falco," he announced, "I got all of your teammates into the medical wing. I've given them a cure for their poisoning, so they should be able to make a full recovery within the day. But some of them, especially Lucas, will have to stay for a little bit longer because of their injuries."

"Gotcha," the pilot replied. "By the way, are you going to let Fox's family and the Star Fox team stay at the mansion?"

"I will. Besides, Peppy told me that they need a place to stay, and the Lylat System isn't one of them, what with the Lords running rampant and all."

"Thanks. I'll go check up on them later."

As the hand floated back to his office, Falco redirected his attention towards the maiden. His blue eyes locked onto their greenish counterparts, he resumed his list of questions. Hopefully, he pondered, there was more to be revealed…

"Okay, here's another one, even though I haven't thought about this until now: when I busted the bomb at Macbeth, why wasn't there an EMP when it was about to explode?"

"The Blå Eldklot utilizes a special mechanism that relies on kinetic energy to produce an electromagnetic pulse which can disrupt electronic equipment. At top speed, the pulse is very powerful, but when the bomb is idle, it is nonexistent. It may also not come out if the bomb takes heavy damage, which is why the kingdom's army has made it a priority to destroy the explosives before they are launched."

"That's good to know. I wonder if there are other places where the Eldklot is being manufactured…"

"Besides my home realm and Macbeth, there is no other confirmed location where the bomb is being built. However, that may change if the other groups stumble across one. In that scenario, the factory would have to be destroyed as soon as possible because of the explosive's high damage potential."

"Sure. And just one more question before I go…"

The pilot's sentence trailed off as soon as the temple's painting of a mysterious woman entered his mind. There had to be a reason why that picture was on the ceiling in the first place, especially when it also depicted the staff pieces, important items that were capable of stopping the Svärtad Orm and possibly the Lords themselves. Furthermore, who could that woman be…?

"Inside the temple at Venom, I noticed a picture of a woman surrounded by the staff pieces on the ceiling. Obviously, the staff is important, but what about the woman? I mean, she had to be put there for a reason."

Lillian closed her eyes for about two seconds after the question was asked. "Legends state of a woman known as the Pure-Hearted Soul, who has greater power over the staff than anyone else because of her status as a female descendant of the hero himself. She is pure in spirit and is believed to reincarnate once per millennium. What the Lords plan to do, in addition to collecting the staff pieces, is to capture this person so that they can revive the Svärtad Orm; due to a safety mechanism, the staff cannot be used by an evil person unless it's somehow corrupted."

Falco pulled out his reflector and began to mess around with it. "Now you just got me curious as to where this person is."

"Her location is kept secret by the kingdom for obvious reasons, so I cannot tell you where she is currently at."

"Okay. I think that's all I have to say." Within seconds, the pheasant began traveling back to his room. Once again, the elegant appearance of the Smash Mansion surrounded him like water, golden water filled with magnificent décor from the most superb of designers. Everything was also brighter thanks to the sun casting its rays upon the building itself.

"Lovely…" he muttered, with no trace of sarcasm to be detected.

* * *

_Later, at the start of nighttime…_

"I need to have a word with Falco," a now-unclothed Lucario whispered, slowly pacing towards Falco's room. Having received treatment from Master Hand and Lillian, the Pokémon was free from poisoning and relieved from injury; besides the toxins being removed from its blood, it was also wrapped in bandages to prevent its wounds from being aggravated. A faint redness was present in certain areas, though this was less significant compared to what was witnessed a few hours ago, when it was battling Lars.

"His room is upstairs," it muttered, pacing up a large stairway that led to the upper floors. A faint thud resonated with each step, which, combined with the empty silence, nearly tricked it into believing that someone else was in the area. The wall-mounted lampposts were enough to bring adequate light, but they were not enough to make everything seem less dim. Now that its mind was focused on the scenery, something else was coming up; the nighttime's effect on the mansion was of the more macabre sort, producing a beauty altered with the essence of darkness. Everything seemed darker, and it would perhaps be even more so if the lights were not on.

It was like staring at a black rose…

Eventually reaching the third floor, Lucario tore away from the stairs and entered another hallway. A few steps were all that was required to reach its destination: a door branded with a blue Star Fox logo.

"Are you there, Falco?" the Pokémon asked, gently knocking on the door.

"What do you want from me, Lucario?" the avian replied, his voice slightly muffled by the closed entryway.

"I need to talk to you about something important."

As the door was pulled open, Lucario was confronted with an image of Falco standing in plain view, minus some of his equipment. The expression on his face was somewhat stern, a sign that he did not enjoy being bothered unless he was being asked for something important.

"What's it about?"

The jackal clasped its paws together. "It has to do with Lillian. May I enter?"

"Sure thing." As the pilot allowed entry, the area around Lucario suddenly transformed into a smaller room decorated with less elegant details and filled with objects typical of a bedroom, such as a bed and a few lamps. The far wall was decorated with a poster depicting the Star Fox team, which was marked by a starry background and a few Arwings.

"So, what's your deal with Lillian?" Falco asked.

"While we were leaving Macbeth," the jackal replied, "I realized something strange, and I would have forgotten about this if Ness had failed to remind me a few hours ago. The maiden did not tell us of the dangers that we would encounter on our adventure, such as Återuppliva or the monster that Lars had. Doesn't it seem strange to you that she would not tell these things unless we asked her about it?

"Well, we were never expecting to come across those things, so I have to agree with you on that one. However, I did ask her a few questions and she did answer to them. There was one response that struck me as odd, however."

Lucario's ears perked up in response. "And what might that be?"

"While I was asking about the temple's painting of a woman, which you probably didn't notice, she told me of a person called the "Pure-Hearted Soul". This lady, who apparently is in hiding, is said to be the most compatible user of the Staff of Björn because of her status as the hero's descendent. The Lords want to capture her because the staff, unless corrupted, will not work in an evildoer's hands."

"That is very strange. Now there's another mystery on our hands… We might need to initiate a search for this woman once all of the groups come back; she could be in danger. You may also want to consider further interrogation for Lillian, but for now, we need to keep what we say between you, me, and Ness. If Master Hand catches wind of our beliefs, he may suspect us of something. The same thing goes for the others, unless they too become suspicious of the maiden."

"Gotcha. I guess I'll see you in the morning."

"Likewise." The jackal then proceeded to stroll out of the room, with nothing else on its mind.

* * *

_At the palace of the Lords…_

"_How could you disappoint me like this, Lars?_" the leader hissed. "_You are one of the best warriors of this glorious organization. I taught you better than that._"

"_I beg for your forgiveness, my master,_" the elderly captain sighed. He was now clothed in a new robe that was identical to his old one. "_I had led myself to believe that I could destroy these adversaries with all that I had. It is now clear to me, however, that they were somehow able to decimate my group and my precious pet-_"

The leader immediately stood up. The last part of Lars's response struck him as chilling news. "_Wait, your creature was destroyed? How?_"

"_It was defeated by an arrogant bird named Falco, who tore it apart from the inside._"

Now the leader was more disturbed. The creatures that his group had created were designed to be indestructible, unable to be killed by conventional means. They were one of the main reasons why the Lords had been so successful in causing mass destruction to the enemy kingdom, its pathetic armies ill-equipped to handle such threats. Nothing was able to stand in their way… until now.

If word of the creatures' weakness was to be revealed…

No. This was not about to happen, not now. The threat had to be destroyed before it was too late.

"_Falco… Never have I heard of such a name. We need to analyze this Falco person so that we can better understand him and the people that he is currently working with. Go work with our realm experts and gather as much information as possible._"

"_I shall do my best,_" Lars replied. He was about to leave the room before his leader spoke again.

"_And one last thing… Should the threat arrive at this world, I will give you one more chance to lead your group to victory. You better be successful when that time comes, for if you are not…_"

An ominous silence crept into the dimly-lit room. The elderly captain patiently waited for the obscure man to finish his statement, with a slight nervousness chilling his nerves.

"_You know the consequences of failure._"

"_I understand,_" was Lars's response.

* * *

_Day two, after Samus's arrival…_

"WHAT!" Fox screamed. Through a comment from Falco, it was now clear to him that the Great Fox was destroyed, and right now, he was beyond enraged. "THE LORDS BUSTED UP THE GREAT FOX?!"

"I wish I could say otherwise, Foxy," the avian sighed.

"This has got to be a joke, right?! Now I have to pay a fucking FORTUNE to get that damn thing fixed! And you know what's gonna happen next?! I'll be broke as all hell! THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!"

"Whoa, calm down-"

But the vulpine stormed off into his bedroom in order to cool down. This left the ace pilot dumbfounded and unsure of what to do next, as he had never witnessed his leader being stuck in such a burning rage.

"What's that crazy sucker's problem, huh?" a voice from behind asked. Falco twisted around to notice Wolf O'Donnell, the leader of Star Wolf. The lupine was clothed in a sleek uniform consisting of dark boots, dull gray trousers, a bluish jacket with metallic shoulder pads and an undershirt, and purple gloves that only exposed his fearsome claws. His fur was marked by a mixture of white and dull blue, which complimented his uniform. Over his left eye was a futuristic eyepatch, presumably to cover up a previous injury.

"His Great Fox is busted, Wolf," the pilot answered nonchalantly. "And he is right on one thing; it does cost a lot of money to perform repairs."

"Ah, he'll get over it soon enough. Besides, with a job like his, it's easy to make some cold, hard cash."

"I wouldn't say it's easy, but it _does_ have a high monetary output."

Wolf began striding relaxingly towards one of the hallways. "Well, I'm gonna go relax over at the game room. The Lords were quite the workout for me, more so than the Aparoid jackasses from forever. Tell Fox to not disturb me. Otherwise, I'll have to get physical with him."

The avian remained silent as the lupine proceeded to his destination of choice. As the former remained frozen in the sunset-coated hall, he noticed the shadow of Crazy Hand slowly approaching from behind. The movement was slow and deliberate, as if the manic entity was attempting to stalk him.

"Don't even think about it, Crazy," the pilot sternly muttered.

"Aw!" the commentator's brother whined. "I was so close to getting you good! Oh well…"

Falco crossed his arms together and let out a disgruntled sigh. "Do I look like I even give a damn about your pranks? Look, just go take your antics somewhere else."

"Okay. Also, why was Fox so angry a few moments ago?"

The pilot's eyes widened with shock. Crazy Hand was listening this whole time, and that could be a problem due to his unpredictable nature. "Wait, you were eavesdropping on us?"

"Well, I wouldn't have cared if you hadn't said anything about the Great Fox being destroyed."

"Whatever. And yes, the vehicle's destroyed. It'll take a lot of money to get it fixed or, in the worst case scenario, replaced. I wonder if the Smash Brothers can help us out."

"Relax, birdy. We've got plenty of money in this place, enough to buy a bunch of mansions like this one. You and Fox shouldn't have to worry that much."

Falco slowly cracked his knuckles together, albeit for non-threatening purposes. "For once, I actually agree with you. Now, I'm gonna order some pizza for a couple of my pals. We're having a movie night in the theatre, at around nine o'clock. We're watching this new action movie called "_Mad Max: Fury Road_"."

"Who's coming with you?"

"There will be Snake, Peppy, Slippy, Mr. Game &amp; Watch, Sonic, and Ness. I think that's about it. You can come if you want to, but try to keep yourself in check."

With a delighted giggle, the crazed hand proceeded to soar into the movie theatre at speeds faster than the pilot's relaxed walk.

* * *

_Somewhere in the unknown realm, a few hours earlier…_

"_No, stay back!_" the young man yelled. His sword continued to hack through enemy flesh and was gradually soaking with black blood on all sides, even going so far as to coat his hands with the corrupted substance. The Lords were continuing to swarm him relentlessly, and they exhibited no signs of backing down whatsoever. He, on the other hand, was slowly cracking from the pressure of fatigue, with no sleep for the past day, barely any food and water, and constant battles with the very foes that sought to bring hellish ruin.

"_End your resistance now,_" a voice growled. "_Relinquish the location of the pieces and the Pure-Hearted Soul…_"

"_Over my dead body._" The man continued to defend himself, cutting down numerous foes and fleeing when the opportunity was available. Magical spells, ranging from icy blasts to energy-made spears, were flying all over the endless forest, but agility was there to save the would-be victim; instead, the projectiles struck the trees and created permanent scars that would forever remain in the forest's infrastructure. For the most part, the grounded roses were spared, though a few of them were trampled by both the man and the Lords.

"_Let me be!_" the hero yelled again. With a swift thrust, he successfully skewered a nearby foe.

"_Do you really believe that we will submit to your demands?_" the voice spat. "_Your naivety never ceases to amuse us._"

_BOOM!_

A nearby explosion almost knocked the man right off his feet. He had very little time to stabilize himself, especially when he was close to a slanted hill, and that was all the Lords needed to land a solid blow.

_CRACK!_

A spear was launched right into his chest, with painful results. As blood soaked his uniform, a loud groan crawled out of his closed mouth, which nearly turned into a scream as his nerves became severely overloaded. The effort to pull the weapon out produced an uncomfortable sound from the affected area as well as a short yell that screamed absolute weakness.

"_Now, fall into darkness… forever,_" the voice whispered. Several more spears were launched, with all of them striking their weakened target. Multiple cracks pierced the gentle air, their ferociousness ruining the tranquility of the forest. Continuous screaming was all that the man could do. His defense was now gone.

* * *

_Nocturnally helpless_

_And weak in the light_

_Depending on a prayer_

_Pacing deserted roads to find _

_A seed of hope…_

* * *

"_**EEEYYYAAHHHHH!**_"

* * *

_Around midnight…_

"Well, it's such a bummer that a good night is coming to an end," Falco sighed. By this point, all the other occupants of the red, plain theatre had left to sleep up for tomorrow; only he, the creator of the party, was left. The movie was an amazing experience, with constant but well-choreographed action and a plot that, while a little bare, flowed smoothly. From his earlier observations, the others apparently enjoyed it as well, including Peppy, who usually shied away from more violent works of art. It, along with the rest of his off-period, was such a sweet breather after yesterday's battle with the Orm's Lords, but it would only last until the entire group of Smashers was ready to confront the source of the dark threat. Oh well. The best thing he could do was to enjoy it as much as possible.

"I'm so damn full…" he groaned, desperately attempting to hold his stomach in. A heavy feeling was gripping his body due to the amount of pizza he had consumed, and it was not going away anytime soon. To be fair, he was indeed hungry at the start of the party, but now, it was dawning upon him that he had consumed more slices than his stomach could comfortably contain. Next time, he would exhibit better restraint over his food consumption. Shutting down the lights, Falco quietly strolled out of the theatre and into the rest of the mansion's topmost floor. The dark sky was currently sprinkling tiny drops of snow, which were nearly invisible to most observers, and the windows were once again affected by a buildup of ice. Aurorae presented their rainbow of colors and stretched far distances, but the heavy clouds partially blocked out their majestic beauty. Silence hovered over the cold air and gave off a false impression that the mansion was abandoned, which was boosted by the lower number of inhabitants.

Following his descent to the second floor, Falco wandered into the main hall and set his sights upon the kitchen, solely for the purpose of obtaining a drink. He was, for some strange reason, growing increasingly thirsty despite the amount of liquids he had consumed earlier. Maybe the food was doing this to him, but even this belief was shrouded with uncertainty. His descent down the stairway was relatively normal, but when he landed on the ground floor…

"_No…_"

"What the hell is that?" the pilot whispered to himself. Still keeping a slow pace, he approached the living room, which was where the sound, a whimpering voice, was supposedly originating from. Someone was whispering something, but who could that person be…

"_Leave me alone…_"

Wait. That soft, feminine tone of voice with the Scandinavian accent… Could it be…

"Lillian?" the avian mumbled. Speeding up slightly, he entered the living room with caution. Worry was entering his mind as he tried to ponder just what was going on with the maiden; it was likely that she was simply having a terrible dream, but with her mysterious character in consideration, anything was possible. Regardless of the scenario, the only way to find out was to approach the area where she was sleeping.

"_You cannot do this…_"

"I can't understand what she's saying, but whatever it is, it doesn't sound too good," Falco muttered worriedly. It was only with a few more steps that he was met with an image of the sleeping Lillian. The sleep was not a peaceful one, for her face was painted with overtones of fear. Her eyelids were shut tight, as if trying to keep the ocular organs underneath from witnessing true terror, but they failed to keep tears from streaming down her face. Her mouth was open slightly, letting loose the air produced from her unsteady breathing. The delicate hands were grasping the pillow with a heavy amount of pressure, something that a sleeping person would not be doing under normal circumstances.

"Hey," the pilot whispered, "Wake up…"

"_Let me go…!_"

"C'mon, wake up…!"

* * *

Darkness.

It was all that surrounded her. There was no trace of light to be found, not even a single speck. Her body was paralyzed, not just by fear, but by a physical force keeping her limbs and torso locked in place.

"_Why must you torment me like this…?_" she whimpered. Her face was soaked with the tears of her agony, a sign of perceived weakness.

"_You cannot escape…_" a deep, raspy voice hissed. "_Your kingdom shall fall to our hellfire…_"

"_No… No…!_"

"_Lillian… Lillian…_"

The maiden struggled to free herself as the voice grew deeper and louder. Her heart was losing control to the point of beating erratically. This doom was closing in on her, and there was almost nothing that could be done to prevent it.

"_NO!_"

"_Lillian… LILLIAN…_"

* * *

"Lillian, wake up!" Falco harshly whispered. As he spoke, his feathered hands were shaking Lillian's shoulders. Their grip was not very tight, but it was just enough to where he could force her out of a nightmare. A few seconds passed, and the maiden soon awoke with a loud gasp.

"F-Falco…?" she coughed. "What are you?"

"Relax; you just gotta take a bit of a breather. You were having a pretty bad nightmare there."

Lillian pulled the hair out of her face in order to make better eye contact with the ace pilot. "I was stuck in darkness, and I was hearing this voice… this demonic entity that speaks of nothing but horrific doom."

"I don't know if it was due to something that you've encountered or if it's simply due to the worries in your mind. Now, did you recognize the voice in any way? Was it someone that you know personally?"

"No. The voice was too far distorted for the sake of recognition. To be honest, however, I would like to avoid hearing it again because of its fear-inducing tendencies."

Falco paused for a few seconds to let the entire amount of information sink in. As if the mysteries surrounding the current adventure were not enough, this incident was now happening. It could just be a one-off event for now. But if this occurred again, especially if something important was revealed, then there would have to be an investigation. Dusting off his jacket, he continued the conversation with the following statement:

"Alrighty then, let me know if something like this happens again."

"I will," the maiden replied. But as soon as she stopped speaking, a voice suddenly echoed inside the realm of her own mind.

"_Lillian…? This is Captain Falcon. I need to tell you something important._"

"Hold on, Falco. Captain Falcon's contacting me."

The pheasant did not reply, instead waiting patiently for Lillian to finish conversing with the good captain. Initially, as she was conversing, the mysterious woman's face was virtually emotionless, for she was not anticipating anything serious, important, or otherwise noteworthy. This was a stark contrast to what was present from before, when nightmarish agony was present; even the tears had dried up, effectively destroying their presence from before. As the minute passed, however, the stoic expression transformed into one of grave concern.

"Is there something wrong?" Falco asked, quickly catching sight of the change. But the maiden did not answer immediately, as she was still listening to Falcon's voice. He was, due to his impatience, tempted to ask again, but within the next minute, luck soon rushed to his aid.

"Falco," Lillian sighed, her voice darker and more depressing, "Princess Peach… She's been…"

"Oh, shit," the pilot interrupted. "The Lords did something very bad to her, right?"

"I'm afraid so. I need to inform Mario about this immediately; it would be wrong for me to keep him in the dark about this." She immediately established a telepathic connection with the plumber, the one person who had been the closest to the princess throughout the years.

"Mario, are you there?" she asked. She waited for a few seconds, but there was no response all. Maybe he was busy with something, she pondered. Her voice called out his name again, but the Mushroomer still failed to reply.

"Wait a minute, he is not responding to my attempts to contact him. I need to check up on his vital signs." She closed her eyes in order to seek out the hero's status. Again, Falco was forced to wait for a meager amount of time. This occasion was noticeably shorter, however, as the maiden's second task did not require as much effort as the first. As she successfully tracked down vital signs, her eyes slowly began to open.

"What's up with Mario?" the pilot curiously asked.

"Mario… is in what appears to be a comatose state," the woman replied. "Also, while I was checking up on him, I have noticed that the other members of his group are under this same condition as well, with the sole exception of Diddy. It's as if they had been affected by something powerful."

"You mean like an injury?" Falco scratched the back of his head.

"Maybe. However, I will be unable to find out until Mario and his party wake up. I'll try again in the morning."

Without another word, Falco strolled out of the living room to get some much needed sleep for tomorrow, but not before retrieving a bottle of water from the kitchen. Lillian, on the other hand, resumed her period of rest, albeit with a slight amount of worry on her mind. Hopefully, the nightmare would not get to her again…

* * *

_Day three, morning time, prior to Mario's arrival…_

"Mario is what?" Master Hand questioned.

"He and his group are stuck in a comatose state," Lillian sighed. "That's why I have been unable to inform him about Peach's crisis. I will try to contact him again in a few minutes."

"Oh. I just hope that he and the others don't die from their condition. We'd be a couple of good fighters short."

"I agree."

As the commentator floated away, Lucario and Falco approached the main hall from one of the second floor's hallways. They remained partially hidden from their leader so as to avoid drawing unneeded attention.

"What do you think we should do, besides the most obvious route?" the Pokémon questioned.

"Maybe we can do a search to see what Lillian's really up to," the pilot responded. "We better keep our heads down, though, because if we're caught, then the others are going to be watching our every move."

"Point taken. Now, let us begin our investigation."

The duo proceeded with their intended plan, hoping to uncover something important.

* * *

_To be truthful, ever since I've inherited the Great Fox from my father, I really hoped that I would be able to pay off the eighty-year loan that came from building it. That is why the money earned from my team's missions is so important to us, to me especially. But now, thanks to those damn Lords, it'll be next to impossible to clear up all the necessary payments, along with the additional debt created from the previous version's destruction by the Aparoids. I know that the Smash Brothers have a large amount of money in the basement's vault, which can definitely help me some, but still…_

_Also, I'm glad that my wife, son, and teammates are all safe, thanks to the heroic efforts of Falco. Who knows what the Lords could have done to them…_

_-Fox McCloud_

* * *

**And that concludes the first intermission. Next theatre: Captain Falcon's. Also, as a bit of a side note, I have seen _Mad Max: Fury Road_ before, and it was a damn good action movie. Try watching it when you get the chance.**

"**Drake"="Dragon" ("Drakar" is the plural form)**


	14. Captain Falcon's Theatre: Part 1

Captain Falcon's Theatre (pt.1): Before the Grand Prix

* * *

**And now, here comes Falcon's theatre. Let's see what the good captain and his teammates will be encountering within Port Town's perimeters.**

* * *

_Darkness has been around since the beginning of time…_

_It is the shadow that appears in the presence of a bright glow…_

_It is vital to the functions of the worlds, bringing about a gentle shade when the light becomes too harsh…_

_It brings a cooler wind to counterbalance the sun's heat…_

_It and light are polar opposites of each other, with each one representing what the other is not…_

_In order for peaceful harmony to be achieved, the two forces have to be in balance with each other…_

_This is why the darkness cannot be eradicated, contrary to the beliefs of some…_

_While it is generally agreed upon that the balance should not be tampered with, evil forces have often sought to go against the laws of nature by expanding upon the darkness…_

_Such efforts have brought nothing but death and decay…_

_And it has often led to punishment by the light itself…_

_The red and black roses are opposites of each other, but without one, the other cannot exist…_

* * *

"Hang tight," Captain Falcon announced. His hands were tightly gripping the Falcon Flyer's steering handles to keep straight. The portal was, for reasons unknown, exerting erratic forces that threatened to destroy all control and thus, cause chaos inside. King Dedede, the massive, penguin-like ruler of Dream Land, struggled to maintain a solid grip on his hammer; the unpredictable motion was causing the weapon to be heavier than it actually was, effectively forcing a bit of strain onto his body. The others grasped the handles of their seats very tightly.

_Whoosh…!_

As the airborne vehicle exited the portal, a new, majestic sight presented itself to all who were staring at the front end. In the distance was a city of futuristic design, with its technology being ages ahead of most other worlds. The skyscrapers were sleek and powerful, and a few of them were able to touch the very top of the troposphere. Clouds were very scattered and few in number, leaving the area below them soaked in the beautiful colors of the morning sky. The streets were bustling with hundreds, if not thousands, of vehicles and were further illuminated by animated signs placed several meters into the air. Off to the west was an ocean; currently, it was a dark blue because the sun's rays were not making contact with it. The watery domain seemed largely plain, possessing few objects that were bound to it, permanently or otherwise. One such object was a small archipelago located a significant distance away.

But the most noticeable thing about the city was a racing field suspended in midair. Compared to the courses of Mario Kart, it was very large, stretching over a huge part of the urban area and being much wider in order to compensate for the size of the F-Zero machines. With the sole exception of the racer himself, all were mesmerized when their eyes became glued to the hovering structure.

"Welcome to Port Town," Falcon sighed calmly.

"It's nice to get a view of the real thing, unlike the simulated stage at the Smash Mansion," Dedede commented while pulling on his red robe, which partially covered a kimono-like uniform underneath.

"Poyo," Kirby chirped, seemingly in agreement with the greedy king. He then leaped out of his seat to indulge himself in the serene view. He was careful enough not to step on any of the ship's controls by accident, and his small body only aided him in this rather short endeavor.

"Well, everything seems pretty normal around here," Red muttered. His attire was similar to that of other male Pokémon Trainers of his region, with light blue pants, a red cap with a white half-circle on the front, a collared shirt with black on the sleeves and red on the torso, and red/black shoes. On his back was a bag that was handy in storing important items, including the valuable Poké Balls. The young man himself was blessed with brown eyes and moderately dark brown hair.

"It does seem that way," Falcon replied. "However, we still have to keep our guards up. For all we know, the Lords could be lurking quietly around every corner."

"Jiggly," Jigglypuff squeaked. The balloon-like Pokémon was reminiscent to Kirby in body shape and color, although the top of its face was decorated with a tuff that resembled a hair curl and its blue-green eyes were rounder in shape. As the Falcon Flyer approached the streets, the bright glow of the busy streets slowly began to overwhelm the sky's more subdued illumination. Common noises on the streets, ranging from active vehicles to electronic signs, were increasing in volume, though this event was not very noticeable because of the air machine's isolated interior.

"Get ready to disembark," Falcon ordered. The racer directed his vehicle towards the rear of a medium-sized building, where there was no traffic to be found. As soon as all motion had died down, a portion of the bridge's floor extended downwards to create an exit for all those inside. The captain quietly led his group outside and when the departure was completed, he returned to activate the Falcon Flyer's auto-pilot function, but before he could…

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

"It looks like I've just received a call from someone," the captain grunted. Tapping on a blue button located next to the primary monitor, he was greeted with a faint amount of static from the speakers. This noise did not last long and was soon replaced by a familiar voice…

"Captain Falcon, can you hear me?" the caller questioned. His voice was moderately deep, but possessed a degree of warmness that often was associated with friendliness.

"Doctor Stewart," the captain replied. "It's been awhile since I've talked to you. What do you need?"

"Recently, I've been getting reports of strange activity within Port Town, all of them having to do with unidentified figures hanging around a condemned building in the suburbs. I can't tell much right now because someone might be listening in to our conversations. Come meet me by the dance club downtown; I'll give you more details there."

"Yeah, I'll be on my way. Besides, I got a few things to tell you as well." After finishing his conversation, Falcon engaged his vehicle's auto-pilot function and returned to the other Smashers. A distinct whoosh echoed across the landscape as the Falcon Flyer made its retreat to the captain's solitary base.

"What do you think we should do now?" Red asked, twirling a Poké Ball on one of his fingers.

"We have to go see Doctor Stewart," Falcon answered. "He says he's been getting reports of strange activity within the city, which may a clue for getting the staff piece."

"I have a feeling that the strange people in the city are likely members of the Lords," Peach muttered. The princess of the Mushroom Kingdom was recognizable by her pink dress, detailed to the full extent of regal beauty. On the top of her blonde hair was a crown that symbolized her status as a member of the royal family. Her face was smooth and clean while her eyes shined with the color of the oceans. Her hands were coated with white gloves as well as a ring on one of the fingers.

"In either case, we better get going."

Strolling down the streets, the Smashers were surrounded by neon lights, people from various worlds, and vehicles soaring by. There was no room for rest; everything was moving at a constant pace with very few stops and the noises ensured that sleep would not be a possible option in a busy place like this. Such was the experience of a common commuter, as Falcon was so kind to remind himself, and with millions of people around, it was unlikely that anything would change by a drastic amount, if at all. After the Smashers passed under a bridge, most of them noticed that the buildings were becoming taller and taller, becoming more imposing with each step. By the time they reached the downtown district, the sky was being touched by the distant rooftops. The F-Zero course mixed in with this sight to give the impression of a pseudo-skyline in the upper troposphere.

"Damn, if they didn't look huge before, they certainly look huge now," Dedede gasped. As soon as he stopped speaking, a series of faint beeps played from R.O.B.'s body.

"Agreed," the machine spoke. The former Ancient Minister was mostly tan in color, though there were several areas which were colored red, such as a lone horizontal line crossing the top of his base or his arms. A coiled cord connected the upper body to the base while his head was decorated with a red, minuscule light on the top. His eyes were dark, mechanical holes equipped with enhanced vision capabilities.

"Whoa, I nearly forgot about your voice upgrade from two weeks ago."

"I guess you're not used to him speaking," Falcon muttered. By this point, the Smashers were within range of their destination: a sleek, flashy building with neon lights attached to the front.

"Let's see we the doctor's got in store for us," Red chirped. As he and the others stepped inside, they were introduced to a scene of typical bar-related activities, which included noticeable bouts of drunkenness and rowdiness over F-Zero replays and live sports. Loud dance music boomed from massive speakers and nearly shattered the eardrums of each Smasher. The center of the building was an open area where colorful, hyperactive characters danced until their bodies gave out from fatigue. A slight scuffle was taking place in one corner, but with hundreds of people in the way, Falcon could not get a clear sight of the belligerents. The far side of the area was a bar filled with numerous alcoholic beverages for many to drink. This was a place of rowdy extroverts, filled with people who would often socialize very frequently and speak about miscellaneous subjects, sometimes in a drunken or hard manner. Along the way, Falcon easily recognized a few of the occupants to be F-Zero racers, among them Doctor Stewart. The pilot of the Golden Fox was a middle-aged man with neat hair of brown coloring and a suit of yellow with blue stripes, complete with a red tie.

"Over here!" he called out. On cue, the Smashers approached his table, which was far off from the center area. As they situated themselves into classy chairs of leather, they patiently waited for the full details.

"So what's been going on in Port Town?" Falcon asked.

"To start, I initially attempted to contact you earlier this week," Stewart answered, "But upon realizing that you were still doing some work with the Smash Brothers, I decided to wait it out until your vehicle's signal could be reached. Now, as I've said before, there have been some strange reports in the news about a few unknown figures gathering inside and around a condemned building for the past two months; a few reports even claimed that there were strange lights coming from inside. No one is sure who these people are or what their intentions might be, but I have a feeling that we're dealing with something potentially dangerous."

Falcon pulled his scarf to the side. "Has anyone tried to get near the area?"

"Yes, but those that do end up disappearing altogether."

"Show me the reports."

"Will do." As the good-willed doctor brought up the reports on his miniature tablet, the pilot of the Blue Falcon waited patiently for whatever information was awaiting him. It was likely that the strange activity was something that would be caused by some of the city's shadier characters, no doubt about it, but if it had to anything with the current adventure, then there would definitely be some room for searching. The others, also filled with anticipation, gathered around in a half-circle.

"Here they are," Stewart muttered. He turned his tablet around for the sake of feeding the Smashers information.

"Lots of reports, I see," Dedede grunted. His eyes were locked onto the paragraphs that made up each visible report, all of which served to fill his mind with knowledge… and a slight amount of boredom. From his perspective, the reports all seemed similar, with little to no difference between each of them. Hopefully, something interesting would come out of this, he pondered. But in an unexpected twist of luck, there was indeed something noteworthy. One of the reports contained a low-quality photo of the site; the details were generally muddled by noise and blurriness, but there was one thing just simply could not be obscured.

"Hey, I see a guy with a robe on him," he commented. "You can see it too, right?"

"Yes, I can," Stewart answered, observing the dull picture.

"Just as I thought…" Falcon added. "The Lords are here in this city. I don't know how they made entry without drawing any attention, but they're here."

Stewart's eyebrows rose up at the captain's statement. There was indeed a potential threat, but he needed more details before he could fully comprehend the situation. "Wait. Explain to me who the so-called "Lords" are."

"The Orm's Lords are a group of dark cultists that seek to revive an evil creature called the "Svärtad Orm". This snake-like being has been responsible for causing mass destruction and death wherever it went, leaving almost nothing standing. It was eventually sealed away by an ancient hero with the Staff of Björn, a weapon of pure light that has been split into five pieces. One of the fragments is in this city. We need to get it before the Lords do; otherwise, chaos will break out again like it did millennia ago."

"Who told you this?"

"We were given the information by a mysterious woman named Lillian Åkerfeldt. She came to us because she was looking for heroes to assist her in keeping the Svärtad Orm sealed."

"That's interesting to know. Now, I would help you in finding the staff piece, but since there is no clue in regards to its location, I'm afraid you'll have to find it on your own. I can, however, assist you in dealing with the Lords."

"Good. We're going to need all the help that we can-"

But his sentence trailed off as soon as he noticed a poster pasted on the nearest wall. Slowly standing up, he wandered away from the table, passing up a few abhorrently drunk occupants. When his approach was finished, he examined whatever details that awaited him. As luck would have it, the poster was a flyer for an upcoming F-Zero competition. The text present was large, blocky, and colored like clouds on a sunny day; additionally, it read the following message:

_SIGN UP NOW!_

_F-Zero Platinum Cup _

_$5 Million Prize For First Place_

_$2 Million For Second Place_

_$1 Million For Third Place_

_DON'T MISS OUT!_

The background was a flashy mix of turquoise and white stripes, which darkened when going from center to edge; it somewhat reminded the captain of a circus tent, barring the different coloring. At the very center was an object that only the best racers received when completing a Grand Prix: a trophy. This particular one appeared to be composed of platinum, not counting the gold plating at the front of the base, and was decorated handles on the sides. Above the grasping areas were wings that seemed quite angelic in appearance; attached to the rest of the trophy via extensions that plugged into holes, they were quite large and spread out, almost giving off the impression that the piece of victorious memorabilia was able to fly. But that was not all.

* * *

_Just beneath the diamond was a set of wings; the wings were rather angelic in appearance and were a sign that the staff was a weapon of holy power, designed to banish any and all traces of evil whenever it was used…_

* * *

"So," Falcon muttered, "One of the wings is the staff piece…" Not wasting anymore time, he strolled back to Stewart's table to let out all newly-discovered information.

"What were you doing over there?" Dedede grunted.

Falcon sat back down onto his chair. "Here's some interesting news for you guys; the staff piece is actually a part of the first-place trophy for the upcoming F-Zero Platinum Cup. I'm not entirely certain if the Lords are already aware of this, nor am I sure as to how the piece ended up where it is now, but I'm signing up for the Grand Prix as soon as we leave this piece."

"You seem awfully certain about this," the doctor interjected. "The woman that you mentioned earlier definitely had something to do with your knowledge of the whole situation."

"She certainly has. Now, we must get moving as soon as possible."

Stewart stood up. "Wait, before we head out, I would to know the identities of your teammates here."

"No problem," Dedede chirped. "I'm King Dedede, the ruler of Dream Land, though not many people think of me as such."

"Jigglypuff!" the Balloon Pokémon exclaimed.

"Name's Red," the trainer sighed. "I'm a Pokémon Trainer."

"Kirby!" the puffball squeaked.

"I am Robotic Operating Buddy Model 996-XA," the robot said in a computerized voice. "You may call me R.O.B."

"And I'm Peach, princess of the Mushroom Kingdom," the royal added.

With nothing else to say, the group exited the chaotic bar with no problem. As Doctor Stewart began calling down his vehicle through his tablet, Falcon linked up his helmet to the Internet in order to register for the Grand Prix. A computerized display appeared over his vision in an instant, revealing a full browser similar to the one Stewart's tablet possessed. Using his fingers to navigate, he reached the official F-Zero website, where the option of online registration was at. As he proceeded to enter all necessary information, Stewart's vehicle began approaching from one side of the road.

"Our ride is here," the doctor announced before stepping inside. His mode of transportation was a gold, hi-tech car that utilized gravity diffusers to stay afloat. There were no wheels on the underside, much like the F-Zero machines, but there were thrusters on the back to provide the necessary propulsion. The hood was decorated with red stripes that stretched across the full length, and the front was equipped with blue-white headlights that had the brightness to potentially blind someone.

"Poyo," Kirby ordered, with the others following him into the vehicle.

* * *

Far away from the hustling and bustling of Port Town's central area, an abandoned building stood was stuck in relative solitude, only connected to the rest of a quiet suburb by a dirt trail. The meters-long concrete road from years ago had been removed, leaving only a small frame that surrounded the exposed earth. No lights were present except for the rising sun, as there were no vehicles passing by or fixed posts set to assist with driving. A fence surrounded the area, but it was beaten and the verge of breaking down. The building itself was a small factory that had been shut down at an unspecified time for reasons forgotten by many. The sign at the front was rusted and mostly illegible, save for a few letters and numbers; at closer glance, the sign said this:

_F- ER MA U ACT RI PL T #3 7_

Most of the windows were dirty and provided no visibility to what was still inside, but a few of them were broken or, at the very least, cracked. Small glass shards littered the floor like fallen bits of transparent hail, with some standing up to provide pain for unlucky passerby. Whatever lights were present on the exterior were now inactive, which only complimented the darker scenery. The doors were sealed shut to prevent anyone from accessing the interior; there was an exception to this, however…

"_The materials that you have requested are en route to our location,_" one robed figure, a Lord, sighed. "_They should arrive within the next hour._"

"_Excellent, excellent!_" another person, possessing a deep, demonic voice, cackled. His figure was very difficult to discern because of the low lighting, but his outline was visible enough to give off an intimidating aura to anyone who was unlucky enough to cross his path. The man himself was very large and bulky, in stark contrast to the rest of the Lords, and possessed a constant grin of twisted joy, his mouth rarely showing any other expression. His outer clothing was a black robe with a red serpent-like logo on the front, much like Agnetha and Lars, but his particular copy was larger to accommodate for his greater mass.

"_So, what are your next orders, my captain?_" The subordinate braced himself for his leader's response.

"_Lay low and continue your normal operations for now,_" was the response. "_I will head to the F-Zero Grand Prix for registration purposes. The first-place trophy for the event should have the staff piece attached to it."_

"_And how would you know?_"

The captain let out a disgruntled sigh before continuing. "_You are truly a forgetful imbecile at times… Do you remember the image that our leader revealed to us? If you compare that to the posters that are currently promoting the Grand Prix, it should be no surprise to you that the left wing on the trophy is identical to that of the staff. How it came to be on such a shining piece of decoration is unknown, but that matters little to us. Once I win the race, we will be one step closer to reviving our mighty savior._"

"_And if you lose…?_"

"_If I feel that I am losing the event, you will have my permission to interfere. I will not allow anyone to stand in my way._"

"_Acknowledged; just say the word and we will assist you to the fullest of our abilities._"

The behemoth unleashed a deep, maniacal fit of laughter. "_Glad to hear it! Now, the Grand Prix is tomorrow, so stay on guard once I am away. Understood?_"

"_I understand. I will inform the others about this._" As the dark person finished speaking, his commanding officer departed from the building without a trace. This truly was an amazing thing of him, along with the Lords as a whole; with helpful magic and the ability to enter a low-profile at any given time, a smart Lord could remain invisible for long periods of time. When the time was ripe, a devastating attack would unravel, with death and carnage being nearly unpreventable. He was, of course, aware of this due to past experiences. With nothing else to do, he slowly strolled back into the building.

Nearby, the trusty vehicle of Doctor Stewart soared over the dirt trail and eventually froze in place at the area where the parking lot used to reside at. The engine slowly died down as Stewart, Falcon, and the others stepped out into the desolate area, with a small amount of light from the sun to boost visibility. The clouds in the sky were starting to increase in size and number, but not enough to where the daylight would be completely blocked out.

"Stay on your best guard," Falcon muttered. "We don't know much about the Lords in terms of offensive power… or anything for that matter."

"Gotcha," Dedede whispered. The others simply nodded in agreement before starting their cautious travel towards the abandoned factory. Nervousness, though mostly hidden, was present in some of the members, mainly because they had no clue as to what the Lords were capable of. And now that their minds were glued to this subject, another thought suddenly sprang up; for some reason, with the obvious exception of Stewart, Lillian did not explain to them about the true potential of the dark organization, which could prove to be devastating, if not outright fatal. It was likely that she had forgotten to warn the Smashers, which was the case that Falcon was hoping for. Hopefully, he was correct.

"Puff…?" Jigglypuff squeaked, slightly nervous. As the group entered the building, absolute darkness began to swallow up whatever previous visibility was present, with the process being complete via the closing of open doors. Of course, the power was offline and the windows were so soiled with dirt that they offered no light from the rising sun. There was nothing discernable whatsoever. It was also dead silent to the point where some of the heroes could hear their hearts beat more easily.

"Poyo…" Kirby whispered, unable to wander around the factory without assistance.

"Activating LED flashlights," R.O.B. announced. In a split second, his eyes sprayed a white light that stretched across a small part of the desolate building's main area. The interior was plagued with dirt and rust, which contrasted with the sleek, cleanly appearance of Port Town's skyscrapers, and was filled with machinery that had been left to decay for decades, if not centuries. Assigned to stations, mechanical arms hanged overhead and were stretched out, as if they were trying to establish contact with something down below. There were consoles for each arm, but none of them were functional; if fact, some of them appeared to be damaged from an unknown force. Beneath each station was a teleporter meant to transport the heavy F-Zero machines to another part of the factory. On the far side was an assortment of boxes, most likely containing vehicle parts.

"Not the place I would want to be in," Peach sighed, dusting off the skirt of her dress. The princess had long resided in an elegant home, not counting any of her years at the Smash Mansion, so it was only natural for her to react negatively to such a neglected place.

"Same here," Stewart agreed. As he spoke, he nearly tripped over a wire that attached itself to one of the consoles. Quick reflexes were the only things that saved him. "Although, I guess this is where the so-called Lords would prefer to work-"

_Thump…_

"Stop," Falcon ordered, immediately reacting to the sudden noise. "I hear something. Did you hear it too?"

"Poyo," Kirby replied in the negative.

"I don't hear anything," Red added, retaining a tight grip on a Poké Ball. "It might be just something messing with your head, though I could be wrong."

"Enhancing microphones to maximum performance," R.O.B. spoke. He then began a sweep across the factory's ground level, hoping to single out whatever was creating the faint sound. As the thump echoed again, his sensors began to react but just barely. Even as his head twisted in all directions, which was accompanied by him strolling a short distance away from the group, there was just nothing in plain sight. Meanwhile, the others began to follow him to provide protection if he was ever to be attacked.

_Thump…_

"Source confirmed," R.O.B. beeped. "The sound is emerging from the second floor."

"Let's head up there," Dedede grunted. Falcon and R.O.B. guided the group towards a rusted stairway that led up to the second floor, hoping to uncover the source of the sound. As all ascended into the second floor, their noses were suddenly beginning to inhale a foul scent in the air.

"Jiggly…puff," the air-filled Pokémon puffed. "Puff… Puff-Jiggly."

"I sure hope we don't run into whatever's creating that scent," Red muttered, shielding his nose as he spoke. As the doors placed at the very end were open, the scent only grew stronger, forcing all travelers except for R.O.B. to squeeze their noses as tight as possible. The reverberation of the main hall disappeared when the smaller environment of the hallway began to assume dominance, which only intensified the silence from before. Jigglypuff began to tremble as nyctophobia started to invade its mind, overtaking its usually relaxed body. It, out of instinct, chose to remain close to R.O.B., for he was the only light-bringer in the vicinity. Dedede grasped his hammer tightly and increased his normally low vigilance, anticipating danger.

"I just can't help but think that something died in here," the doctor commented. "I hope I'm wrong…" But not one second had passed before a response was made to his comment.

"No, you're right," was Falcon's answer. He released a hand from his nose to point at the nearby ground. "Look at this."

"Oh man," Red gasped, "That does NOT look pleasant." A few meters away, there were bloodstains on the ground. Some of them appeared to be fairly recent, but most of them were rather old, having been around for a few weeks at most. As the group closed in, it was revealed that there were more stains all over the environment, with some even reaching all the way up to the ceiling. Jigglypuff, now feeling more unnerved than before, began to shield its eyes to avoid being permanently traumatized by the dark imagery. Kirby and Dedede were starting to become nervous, fearing the possible carnage that was up ahead. Falcon simply stared around in surprise, as did Stewart, Peach, and Red.

"My goodness," Peach muttered. "What happened here?"

Falcon opened up one of the doors, which led into a room that had been previously vacated by the original owners. Inside was a table that had a corpse lying down on it; it was severely decayed due to the amount of time between its death and now, with its skin being a rotten brown and hair almost gone, and was split in half at the waist. Entrails were spread across the table, with some of them even coming close to touching the floor. Though it was initially hard to notice, a swarm of ants was attacking the exposed organs. The wrists and ankles were restrained by chains, designed to prevent any sort of escape. As with the hallway, blood was present in heavy amounts.

"Puff!" Jigglypuff gasped, nearly tripping as it stumbled backwards.

"What the…?!" Red added. The unexpected sight of the gore was somewhat unnerving to him, as he had never witnessed anything this violent within his own world; even the most brutal of Pokémon battles now appeared to be tame in comparison. There had to be a reason why this poor man was severely torn apart.

"How long do you think this man has been dead?" Falcon asked of Stewart.

"I would say a few weeks, give or take," the doctor replied. As he spoke, he approached the site of the slaughter to gather further details, but he also kept his distance to avoid the ants. The cause of death seemed fairly obvious, with the bisection in consideration. Someone had locked the man down before taking something long and sharp to cut away at his waist, resulting in what he was witnessing now. The murderers' exact motives were unknown for the moment, but the fact that the execution was so violent definitely led to assumptions of possible sadism or anger… or maybe both. Strolling over to the face, Stewart attempted to deduce the victim's identity, even though the face was horribly rotten. Nothing appeared to be distinctive… until he remembered a four-week-old report from the news.

* * *

_As Doctor Stewart continued to watch the news channel, one topic immediately stood out from all the rest._

"_We have reports of yet another disappearance within the city's boundaries," the anchorman announced. "Last week, twenty-five-year-old Adrian Landon went missing while he, according to his wife, was returning from a business trip to Mute City. According to the spouse, who has chosen to remain anonymous, Landon was communicating online with her over the details of his trip when he was apparently interrupted by what he claimed to be a strange light coming from within a decrepit building. His efforts to investigate have ended in his transmission being abruptly cut off by an unknown force-"_

_As the anchorman continued to speak, the image of a younger man with brown hair appeared. Stewart simply stared on in both interest and confusion. What was causing all these disappearances?_

* * *

"Hold on," he muttered. "This man is one of the people that went missing over the past few weeks."

"No way," Red replied.

"I wonder why the Lords wanted this poor man dead," Peach whispered. "I mean, it's not like this person was killed for no reason at all. We should look for clues to find out what the murderer wanted."

"You're right, princess," Falcon commented, cracking his knuckles together. "We should do that, but we need to be careful. For all we know, whoever did this could still be in this building."

"Let's move," Stewart commanded. The travel through the offices was marked by more scenes of death, made possible by various methods like lynching, burning, bludgeoning, quartering, and vice versa. All the corpses identified were those of the missing persons, thanks to Stewart's sharp memory, but nothing else appeared to present itself. The foul scent only intensified the further the adventurers explored, and it soon became so harsh that it nearly provoked vomiting in some. The very end of the hallway was marked by a mahogany-colored door isolated from all the others. Entering into the room, the heroes realized that there was, rather surprisingly, no carnage at all, not even mere bloodstains on the walls. Instead, there was a greenish table resting comfortably at the wall, complete with a small lamp.

"Let's check out that table," Falcon grunted. As he and the others gathered around the lone piece of furniture, it was realized that there were three cabinets, with one of them being twice as large as the other two. Inside the topmost one, there was only a pen visible to the group: not the modern-day variant, but rather, a white feather with what appeared to be black ink at the tip. The middle contained a sharp knife with dried blood on it; Falcon was quick to assume that this was one of the many weapons used to butcher those lying motionless in the office rooms. But what really captured the attention of all present was hidden inside the bottom cabinet.

"Looks like a journal," Red commented. The book in front of him was composed of brown leather and was held closed by a button-on seal, with white pages spanning the full thickness of the larger object. Picking it up, the trainer unbuttoned the seal and proceeded to flip to the first few pages. There was writing present in the form of individual entries, but…

"I can't read this," he moaned. "It's written in a foreign language. R.O.B., can you translate this?"

"Translating now," R.O.B. answered. While the machine's eyes deciphered every word of the journal entries, the two puffballs leaped up to the tabletop to watch the action. A blue glow shined over the book and provided a cool shade of relief that contrasted with the dark environment, especially with the blood in the middle cabinet. The blood itself now appeared as black due to the absorption of the colored light. A few minutes were forced to pass before the former Ancient Minister had a full translation ready, which, as expected due to the combined length of the entries, was fairly long.

"Translation complete," R.O.B. chirped. "First journal entry…"

_We are now within the boundaries of Port Town, one of the many locales for the racing competition known to the locals as "F-Zero". All required equipment for the search has been prepared and will be used shortly afterward. Our presence is currently obscured from the millions of people, faithless ones at heart, living inside a city of the future; the leader has ordered us to avoid attracting any unwanted attention, which is different from most of the other groups, since they have been ordered to initiate a more aggressive approach. He once stated to me that he was doing this as something of an experiment to see whether the passive group is superior to the active one. However, I am already beginning to feel a murderous urge from within, which I hope to keep in check out of respect for my master…_

"Second entry…"

_We have now been stationed in the city for a week now, but our searches have been… less than successful. Port Town's massive size has proven to be more of a problem than I initially thought, as progress so far has been slow. However, the members of the stealth squadron are lucky enough to vanish at will, for if that was not the case, they would have been captured or even killed a long time ago. I can imagine the Svärtad Orm desperately trying to free itself from its prison, constricted by mystical chains that prevent escape. In due time, it shall be free. As a final note, my servants have been seeing flashes in the distance. What is causing them is beyond me, but I hope that this is not the work of an intruder..._

"Third entry…"

_After three weeks, someone has finally decided to explore our hideout. My best assumption is that he wandered into the area and was very curious to explore the building that we call our secondary residence. Regardless of his motives, I had him executed since I cannot afford to have anyone expose us; this event also certainly has helped out my thirst for blood. Our action may arouse suspicion within the populace, but I do not anticipate law enforcement officials to raid our place anytime soon._

"Fourth entry…"

_It has been a month since we entered Port Town, and we still have no clue where the damn staff piece is. My assigned soldiers have been searching all over the city as well as its suburban extensions, but luck has not been on our side. We also had to deal with the problem of more fools discovering our hideout; they must have gotten more suspicious since the first few killings. Our leader grows more impatient by the minute and promises punishment if we fail to retrieve the piece. I do not blame him; the city is very large, larger than even the most magnificent city of our own world. Boredom is beginning to overtake me, but I will not stop until the Holy Serpent is revived… and neither will my leader…_

"Fifth entry…"

_Luck has suddenly decided to present itself in the form of an F-Zero competition set to take place in three days. The first-place trophy in particular is what I need; after cross-referencing it with an image of the Staff of Björn, I have reason to believe that one of the trophy's wings is what my leader needs to complete the artifact and revive the Svärtad Orm. I will register for the competition as soon as possible so that I can take the trophy not just for myself, but for the Orm's Lords. Should my initial plan fail, I will launch a full-scale attack on the city. After two months of endless searching, I shall not disappoint the leader again, especially since I have revealed the piece's location to him._

"End translation."

"Whoever wrote this journal has been doing some serious business," Dedede sighed. "If we can find this guy, we might be able to cripple the group of Lords hiding in this city. The problem is: where are we supposed to find him?"

"Beats me," Red replied. "I don't think he's in here, though, unless I'm forgetting something important. Since there's nothing else to explore, let's just get outta here and prep up for tomorrow."

"Poyo," Kirby squeaked. Following his lead, the others proceeded to leave the room and head back to Stewart's vehicle, but as soon as they emerged from the doorway…

_SLAM!_

"What the?!" Dedede yelped in surprise. There was not enough time after his statement for the others to speak up, for all the other doors, previously left open, were slammed shut by themselves. All the Smashers braced themselves for a dangerous situation while Stewart remained motionless. Something was definitely wrong, and this belief was further proven when a strange voice began echoing throughout the hall.

"Intruders…" the voice hissed. "You have fallen right into our trap, and now, you shall be punished for your actions…"

"Who are you supposed to be?" Falcon grunted. "Are you associated with the Lords?"

"You are correct, and it is the Lords that will bring about your untimely demise…" The hidden speaker's voice was that of an elderly woman, cursed with dark, menacing overtones. Its origin was extremely close to Captain Falcon, almost as if the woman was standing right next to him.

"Poyo!" Kirby angrily chirped, preparing for battle. After he spoke, the room began to glow a very dark purple. The speaker uttered these final words before the battle truly began:

"_Kill them…_"

_CHINK! ZAP!_

Without any warning, two blasts of magic, one icy and one electrical, soared at the adventurers with ridiculous speed. Jigglypuff was unable to avoid the first projectile, leaving part of its body frozen, while the second struck Dedede in a failed attempt at deflection. Wasting no time at all, Falcon immediately launched a counterattack at his foes.

_WHOOSH!_

"Falcon Kick!" he shouted. As he rushed forward, his extended leg was coated in flames, threatening to sear whatever was in front of him, invisible or not. Surely enough, one foe was hammered by the powerful blow. The now-exposed enemy in particular was a male clad in a dark suit that spanned from head to toe. The suit appeared to be composed of a softer material that provided some comfort and was equipped with a visor that obscured the man's face. As the victim was struck in the gut, he let out a loud howl of pain as his suit began to catch fire.

"Squirtle, go!" Red shouted, tossing one of his Poké Balls to the floor. Emerging from the device was the red-eyed Tiny Turtle Pokémon itself, its skin colored an aqua blue and a shell around the larger part of its body. Following Red's orders, it utilized Surf, a far-reaching tidal wave that successfully knocked a few opponents into the farther part of the hallway. Compounding this was Peach's descent into sadness; while both friend and foe were initially confused by this sudden change in behavior, they soon realized that she was actually strengthening Squirtle's ongoing attack by adding a stream of tears large enough to partially flood the area.

"Let's see if they can handle some Gordos," Dedede snickered. He then launched at least four Gordos, living spheres of with spikes on their bodies, into the soaked crowd of newly-exposed hostiles, all of them dressed identically to the burned man. Most of them were able to inflict noticeable damage, but one of them was deflected, nearly cutting Red's right shoulder in the process. A magical blade was launched right into Falcon and successfully struck his upper abdomen, but the racer momentarily overcame his pain to uppercut another foe. Kirby swung his hammer forward to knock some of the Lords down. Peach smacked several foes with a frying pan before being staggered by an earthquake created from a fist striking the ground. R.O.B. fired off lasers from his eyes to pierce through flesh and bone.

"This is bad," Stewart muttered as he took aim with his previously-concealed handgun. Firing into the opposing group, he struck down a few targets via headshots, but surprise would overwhelm him when he witnessed the injured easily recovering from what should have been a lethal injury.

"That's… That's impossible," he gasped. "How did they survive that?"

"Puff!" Jigglypuff squeaked. After freeing itself from its icy prison, the Pokémon used Pound against foes around it, but its efforts to provide some breathing room ended in vain when a cultist kicked it straight into the ceiling. Upon impact, Jigglypuff was swallowed by massive pain, which left it unable to avoid an energy sphere aimed right at it.

_BOOM!_

"Squirt!" Squirtle yelped as it was launched by an explosive spell.

"Hiya!" Kirby shouted as he unleashed another power attack with his hammer. He executed up to seven swings before his weapon was halted by a female opponent, who proceeded to punch him with an icy fist. The puffball, unable to control his flight path due to the ice freezing parts of his body, was launched right into Dedede's stomach.

_SMACK!_

"Oof!" the greedy king grunted as the wind was knocked out of his stomach. As he struggled to regain his composure, Squirtle was forced to protect him by launching its shell all over the place. This action was, for the most part, successful, though the water-loving Pokémon was eventually knocked away by an electrical blast, with heavy pain following afterwards. Meanwhile, R.O.B. launched a fast-moving gyro into a single target for minor damage.

"Try this for size," Falcon remarked. He thrusted one of his knees into a foe's face; the impact was marked by a sickening crack that rang throughout the hall, along with the victim receiving a serious burst of electricity. The cultist was instantly launched into the opposite end of the hall. On the other side of the field, Peach tripped an opponent with one of her legs before stabbing his left eye out, and cracking the visor, with her high-heels.

"It's not so fun when you lose an eye, right?" she giggled. She prepared to gouge his remaining eye, but a second enemy from behind stabbed her in the shoulder with a short blade. Twisting her body around, she smacked her attacker hard enough to inflict a slight dizzy spell upon him. Dedede, seizing his opportunity, flattened the same foe against a wall with his hammer. As a final blow, Jigglypuff utilized Rollout, a move involving extreme rotational force, to finish off the Lord.

"How many of them are there?" Stewart asked, kicking a foe off of him as he spoke.

"Like I even have a clue," Falcon responded. After rearing his arms back, he thrusted one of his elbows forward, instantly igniting an unlucky foe. Squirtle, who was not too far away, tackled two foes with its head.

"Poyo," Kirby squeaked. Swallowing a foe whole, he incapacitated a second by spitting out the first. He then pulled out a small blade to perform his Final Cutter attack, leaping upwards and then falling back down to unleash a wave of energy at his foes. One unlucky aggressor had a large, deep, and entirely vertical wound etched onto her body, but this was quickly healed by the mystical power of Återuppliva, as Kirby immediately noticed.

"Poyo?" he mumbled.

_BOOM!_

"WAH!" Kirby was launched by a massive blast that nearly caused the metallic floor to melt. As he was thrown into the air, another enemy attempted to electrocute him, but failed when the spell was deflected by Dedede's hammer. Squirtle's skull was nearly shattered when a fast-moving foot exerted extreme force upon it. R.O.B.'s arms spiraled around in a fast circle to smack foes repeatedly, but this attack was stopped by a punch that launched the robot into his group.

"Need a little help here," Stewart ordered. The doctor was close to running out of bullets for his handgun, which would certainly lead to doom if his teammates failed to assist him. Luck would be on his side, however, when his trusted friend and fellow F-Zero racer brought one of his strongest attacks into play.

"Falcon…" the racer started. His right fist began to glow a bright orange, then…

_BOOM!_

"PUNCH!" As soon as his fist rushed forward, flames forming the shape of a falcon incinerated all those caught in the attack's pathway. The hallway was temporarily illuminated by both the initial blow and the victims subsequently catching fire.

"Get outta here!" Dedede grunted. Swinging his hammer around him, he knocked over several Lords before crushing the head of another. On the second attack's impact, black blood and brain matter oozed underneath his weapon of choice. The king froze for a moment to examine the blood's strange coloring.

"Hey, why is the blood all black?" he muttered to himself. "I've never seen someone with black blood before."

"Just a little more…" Red sighed hopefully. By this point, most of the Lords were down, with only a certain few still battling the Smashers to the fullest of their abilities. Before the trainer could any further action, he suddenly overheard the sound of a sleep-inducing song.

"Maybe you guys _do_ need a bit of rest, especially after all that searching," Falcon joked in a somewhat uncharacteristic manner. After throwing no more than three foes behind him, he watched on as most of the remaining Lords began to succumb to drowsiness. It was no surprise to the captain that this event was unfolding; the Balloon Pokémon's voice was very notorious for being able to force anyone, including the majority of more resilient foes, to sleep because of its ability to shift wavelengths to match the brain waves of those affected. It was certainly demonstrated in several battles at the Smash Mansion, where Jigglypuff would use the move to set up for a killing blow. Falcon shielded his ears to prevent drowsiness from affecting him as well.

"Just our luck," Dedede remarked, hammering a foe afterwards. The few enemies that were able to shrug off the lullaby unleashed a combined attack involving a major blast of electricity.

_ZAP! ZAP!_

The electrical current struck everyone except for Stewart and Jigglypuff. Absolute pain shattered the nervous systems of those impacted by the devastating blow, almost to the point where time felt severely slowed down in their minds. Some, like Peach, let out horrifying screams of pain to compliment the serious shocking. After the attack, many of the adventurers were unable to move their bodies.

"Squirt…" Squirtle groaned. The Pokémon suffered greatly from the attack as, being a Water-type, electricity was one of its noteworthy weaknesses. It was unable to retract its limbs into its shell, not just because of paralysis, but also due to the weight of all the pain.

"Warning! System overload!" R.O.B. beeped. Sparks zipped across his chassis as his power supply suffered from the blow.

"Just great…" Dedede coughed. He could feel his arms go slack as his hammer suddenly weighed a thousand tons greater than it actually was.

"Jiggly… puff…" Jigglypuff sighed, suddenly beginning to feel drowsy. As its song transitioned to a halting point, two Lords began to circle the puffball to strike it down during its period of vulnerability. They witnessed its eyelids starting to remain closed for longer periods of time despite its attempts to stay awake. With blade and magic at hand, the cultists rushed in for the kill, but as soon as they were within striking distance…

_CRACK!_

"What the?" the doctor gasped. Presented in front of him was the sight of two cultists suddenly being launched and scorched by an unidentified force that was somehow related to Jigglypuff completely dropping off. Loud screams once again echoed throughout the hall, but these particular cries of pain appeared to be even louder than before; in fact, they were quite comparable to the sound of evil souls being relentlessly punished for their crimes. This scene was, to Stewart, a moment of both triumph and horror. In the middle of all this, the Balloon Pokémon, after waking up, incapacitated one final foe with Rollout.

"Jigglypuff!" it squeaked.

"Is everyone… still alive?" Falcon, who was now recovering from the electrical shock, grunted.

"I'm still breathing," Dedede replied, "So I guess I count. Not too sure about R.O.B., though."

"Poyo," Kirby added, who struggled to maintain his footing due to the shock's effects.

"Can we just leave now?" Red groaned. "This place is starting to give me the creeps."

Without another word, Falcon escorted the entire group out of the dark factory, a place that, unbeknownst to many, was a hellish location of darkness. R.O.B. had to be carried by Stewart and Dedede as his motors were malfunctioning from the earlier attack. All was silent in the hallway when the adventurers were gone… until one enemy lucky enough to survive the counterattack awakened.

"_This is terrible,_" he muttered, observing the mess caused by the intruders. "_Nearly half of our group here has been slaughtered. The captain is not going to be pleased…_"

With a painful grunt, he stumbled out of the hall to contact his leader elsewhere, all while ensuring that his feet did not step on one of his comrades.

* * *

_Back at Stewart's vehicle…_

"Geez," Dedede sighed, "I was kinda anticipating the Lords to be dangerous, given what Lillian had told us, but I'd never thought that they would be strong enough to nearly wipe all of us out."

"Well, we just need to watch our backs from here on out," Peach replied. "If we're lucky, we might be able to find something that can help us bring down the Lords with ease."

"Okay, where to?" Stewart asked of the captain. By this point, his vehicle was approaching the central district of Port Town, back into the small world of colorful lights and constant activity.

"Take us over to the docks," Falcon ordered. "I'll call in the Falcon Flyer from there."

For the next few minutes, the travel to the docks was marked by an empty atmosphere. There was very little activity within the vehicle due to the people focused only on one thing: waiting to arrive at their destination. Additionally, R.O.B. was stuck in a low-power state; as his main power source was damaged, he was forced to rely on his backup battery in order to prevent complete shutdown. Colors passed by the windows of Stewart's machine, but despite their combined beauty, they failed to drag the Smashers into their bright allure.

There would be time to stare at the city's magnificent lighting once the Lords were defeated.

* * *

_At the factory…_

"_WHAT?!_" the hulking captain roared. "_How could you fools allow yourselves to be easily beaten by a small group of explorers?!_"

"_I am terribly sorry, sir,_" was a nearby servant's reply. "_We thought that we had our foes cornered, but as it turned out, they had abilities that were able to make them effective threats to our group's well-being. We tried to-_"

"_SILENCE!_" The group leader pounded his right fist against a nearby wall. "_I will not tolerate failure from any of you! Thanks to your incompetence, we have lost a significant portion of this group! If you fail to defend this area again, I will make your punishment very severe!_"

The servant, slightly backing away out of fear, gulped. "_We will make sure to satisfy your criteria next time._"

"_Now leave._" The subordinate remained silent and exited the office room at the end of the hallway. As the room fell silent, the captain placed his chin on one of his thick fists. He was soon lost in a sea of disturbing thoughts. How was it that a small group of adventurers, powerful or not, was able to wipe out a significant portion of his group? Furthermore, as the servant was kind to point out, the members of said group were somehow aware of the existence of the Holy Serpent's chosen ones, but what could they have possibly stumbled across to receive such knowledge…

"_I must find the attackers responsible for the assault,_" he groaned. "_This action must not go unpunished. Maybe I can meet one of these people tomorrow at the F-Zero Grand Prix… Once I do, there shall be no escape._"

Retrieving his journal, he proceeded to place another entry onto the series of plain pages…

* * *

_Two hours past noon, at Captain Falcon's residence…_

"Do you think you can fix R.O.B.?" Peach asked. Worry was on her mind as she was focused on the machine's status.

"I'll check up on his systems and see if I can do some repairs," the captain answered. "If I can't help him, I might have to bring him to someone who can."

"Okay-"

But the princess was suddenly interrupted by a mystical voice within her head. She was not the only person to hear this voice, for all the others, with the sole exception of R.O.B., twisted their heads around out of surprise.

"_Attention, all Smashers who are not traveling with Mario or Falco,_" the speaker's gentle voice whispered. "_This is Lillian. I am here to inform you about what the Lords are using in combat._"

"Wait, did you hear…?" the Mushroom Kingdom's monarch muttered.

"Yeah, I heard it," Falcon replied, having somehow predicted what Peach was going to ask.

"_The Lords are using a magical spell known as Återuppliva, which offers advanced regeneration to its users. It can essentially withstand any injury except for burns, such as those from fires, and dismemberment. If you have attacks that fall into either one of the aforementioned categories, use them. For those who cannot burn or tear apart the Lords on their own, find something that can help you out. Also, beware if you encounter a captain; captains are recognizable by the red emblems on their robes and are extremely dangerous because of their ability to revive from death, alongside additional powers unrelated to Återuppliva. Stay safe and find the staff pieces as soon as possible._"

Once the maiden stopped speaking, Dedede quickly flashed back to the moment when he smashed a cultist's head in with his trusty hammer. Maybe the black blood was perhaps the work of Återuppliva, but the connection was still unclear. Additionally, Lillian did not mention the cultists having such a property. She likely had forgotten to notify the Smash Brothers about this, but it seemed too… odd for someone to hide something important until the very last minute.

"Hey, I gotta tell you guys something," the king muttered. "When I smashed a Lord's head in with my hammer, I noticed that the guy had black blood. Did any of you see that?"

"I did," Red answered. "I saw it right after Captain Falcon pulled off his Falcon Punch maneuver."

"I'm guessing that it might have something to do with the spell that Lillian mentioned, but we'll have to look into this once we get back to the Smash Mansion. Even stranger was the fact that Lillian hadn't told us any of this until after we left."

"Puff?" Jigglypuff chirped. "Jigglypuff…"

"Well, I suppose that's possible, but it seems all too strange to withhold important info until the last minute, especially since we nearly got killed by the Lords."

"We'll worry about that later," Falcon sighed. "Right now, we just need to prepare for the race tomorrow."

"What about the Lords?" Dedede scratched the back of his head, slightly nervous about the dark group appearing to ruin the mission.

"They won't be able to find us here, so we should be safe for now."

As the room fell silent again, Falcon strolled towards one of the hallways of his fancy house, searching for the supplies required to fix R.O.B..

* * *

_I have faced numerous foes in the past, ranging from small-time perps to Black Shadow, who has garnered a reputation built from the fears of innocent civilians. As a bounty hunter, it has always been natural for me to stumble into danger, even when dealing with lesser criminals. However, the Lords are the kind of people that I never really faced before. Their bizarre magic and appearance lead me to believe that they are barely human to begin with, even when compared to the likes of Shadow and his goons. Furthermore, as King Dedede was so kind to mention, they appear to have black blood; I don't know what's causing them to have that, but I hope that we can get some answers as soon as possible, particularly from Lillian. _

_Secondly, the Lords were depicted in Lillian's picture as wearing dark robes, yet the enemies we encountered were wearing specialized suits designed for stealth. Maybe we ran into some sort of stealth squad, something that Lillian has failed to mention._

_As a final note, I'm slightly anxious about the upcoming race, for some reason…_

_-Captain Falcon_

* * *

**College has started back up. You know what that means…**

**Falcon appears to be a little nervous about the race, but we know that he's going to get first place anyway, right? **


	15. Captain Falcon's Theatre: Part 2

Captain Falcon's Theatre (pt. 2): Death Races

* * *

**It's time for the F-Zero Platinum Cup to start. Falcon's ready to ride and will stop at nothing to obtain the first-place trophy, but will he succeed? Let's find out.**

* * *

_Sadistic tendencies are rare in society…_

_This is due to the fact that most persons do not have the compatible mindset for such urges to take root…_

_Within the minority are those whose hearts have been filled with absolute hatred…_

_The misanthropy they exhibit is what allows a personality devoid of care and love to blossom…_

_While not true of all who have fallen victim to endless hatred of others, some begin to show delight in the agony that the people around them experience…_

_Torture becomes a joy, murder a career they enjoy…_

_This is representative of how evil many races of higher thinking can truly be…_

_Sadism is also what drove Black Shadow to cause chaos in his world, to torment innocent souls…_

_Until he was stopped by a mysterious bounty hunter…_

* * *

The citizens of Port Town were in a state of perpetual eagerness; today was the starting day of the F-Zero Platinum Cup, and there would be pure excitement for all non-participants to enjoy. Many during the time of high noon were flocking towards a small building constructed around the starting spot of the city's assigned course. Sleek architecture and multiple high-definition screens surrounded them as they traveled to the stands. A few observers decided to satiate their hunger beforehand by purchasing items from the food court. One of these people was King Dedede.

"Huh, what should I get?" he muttered to himself. His eyes swept across the area as he struggled to make a decision, exacerbated by how magnificent some of the food stands appeared. The variety present was enormous; the food ranged from pizza to sushi to what appeared to be a type of cuisine created from an alien culture. A low growling was emerging from his empty stomach, a sign that he had not consumed anything in a while. He had to come to a decision soon, lest his hunger continued to plague him.

"Okay, I guess I'll head to the sushi stand…" he sighed. Keeping his hammer concealed to avoid drawing unneeded attention, he dragged his great mass to his destination, which was partially blocked by the dozens of citizens heading to their seats. On arrival, he was greeted by a young, black-haired man who performed double-duty as cook and cashier.

"Kon'nichiwa!" the man greeted in a way that reflected his native culture. As he spoke, he bowed in front of the greedy king. "What would you like from this stand?"

Dedede stared up at the menu to examine all possible options. From what he was witnessing, most of the available food items were based around sushi, an integral part of Japanese cuisine. What set each variant apart was the set of ingredients utilized; besides the vinegared rice taking on different colors, the stuffing inside varied noticeably, ranging from the simple to the complex, with one particular variant having both fruits and vegetables inside. Pausing for about ten seconds, the king performed another sweep of the menu before reaching his final decision.

"I'll take the deluxe plate," he sighed. Immediately, he proceeded to relinquish a few Port Town coins given to him by Captain Falcon. The young Japanese man proceeded to finalize the payment before heading to the back to work with a few chefs. A conversation could be heard despite the bustling of the midair stadium, but Dedede failed to understand it because it was entirely in a foreign language.

_They're definitely from a different culture,_ he pondered. After approximately two minutes, the man returned with a platter filled with colorful pieces of sushi, along with a small piece of ginger. Off to one side was a pile of wasabi, considered by many to one of the most intense condiments ever created.

"Thank you, sir," Dedede muttered as he began to carry the platter with him.

"Enjoy your meal," the man replied, once again bowing in front of his newest customer.

* * *

_Inside the center of the stadium…_

"Welcome, one and all, to the first race of the all-new F-Zero Platinum Cup!" an announcer's voice rang throughout the speakers. The voice itself was fairly deep and possessed a great amount of excitement, almost as if the speaker himself was eager to witness the fast-paced action of the dangerous races to come. "I'm Derek Campbell, and with me here is Masahiro Kojima, my announcing partner for today."

"Thank you, Campbell-san!" a second voice replied. Compared to the first, this voice possessed a noticeable Japanese accent and was higher-pitched. "Now, today is shaping up to be very exciting, especially since we have a competitor whom we have never seen before. Do you have any idea where he might be from?"

"I don't have a clue; in fact, he seems even more mysterious than the legendary Captain Falcon himself. However, he looks like he can utterly smash the competition to bits!"

As the announcers continued on, most of the Smashers, who were already seated by this point, overheard the previous statement by the second announcer. Curiosity soon flared up in their minds, seeking to figure out just who the new racer was. Was he or she a rule-follower, or a possible threat? Nothing was said for the next few seconds until they reached a quick realization.

The best that they could do was to patiently wait.

"Y'know," Red sighed, "I'd like to see who this new racer is. I mean, Captain Falcon's already shown us the participants of earlier competitions through his memoirs and all, so…"

"We'll see this new face in due time," Peach quipped, adjusting her crown slightly. "Hopefully, he's not-"

"And here he is!" the first announcer, Campbell, proclaimed. "Piloting the Unbound Serpent, number one hundred, and stand more than two meters tall… it's the rampant aggressor himself, Magnus Hedin!"

The Smashers, now including a returning Dedede, and the rest of the audience placed their attention on the track. The new figure, now identified as Magnus and dressed in a brown, sleek uniform, strolled towards his stationary vehicle with pride and confidence. The bald man appeared to full of girth, with his obese figure being his most noticeable characteristic, and possessed something of a wicked grin on his face. A beard stretched across his chin, although it was shorter compared to what Lars had. He greeted the cheering audience by raising one of his hands. While most of the people inside were filled with absolute elation, the Smashers stared on in suspicion.

"Poyo?" Kirby chirped, referencing the name of Magnus's vehicle.

"Unbound Serpent?" Red grunted. "I've never heard of a vehicle name like that before. However, it's starting to remind me of something else. What is it…?"

As Magnus entered his red-and-black vehicle, the announcers began to call out the rest of the racers, but their voices became muffled as soon as the vehicle hatch closed completely. But this hardly mattered to him; all that he really desired was the staff piece somehow attached to the first-place trophy. The grin on his face became wider and wider still, his mind eager to smash though all competition. None of the other racers would stand a chance against him…

At least, that was what he believed, until his ears caught the sound of a certain bounty hunter's name being announced.

"And finally, we have the legendary pilot of the Blue Falcon, ready to claim the cup…" Kojima's voice faintly echoed. "It's Captain Falcon!"

Magnus's eyes caught the sight of the Blue Falcon parked immediately to the left of his own vehicle. A concealed fury quickly built itself up inside the captain's dark mind, for he was immediately reminded of what one of his servants revealed to him. The golden crest was a clear giveaway to him and was all he needed for identification; no doubt, this man had the guts to end his servants' lives in the most extreme of manners, and if he was searching for the staff piece as well…

There was no other alternative to the problem. The Blue Falcon's pilot and his teammates would have to die.

"Pray that I do not end your miserable excuse for a life, Falcon," the bald man growled with a sinister tone. Armed with his self-earned knowledge, he engaged his vehicle's ignition sequence. A low hum rang in his ears and it was loud enough to completely block out whatever Kojima and Campbell were spewing from their mouths. The other vehicles, seemingly in preparation for the final countdown, also started their engines and began levitating as a result. They were now aggressive, speed-hungry wolves ready to catch their prey at all costs, paying no mind to the damage that would be inflicted during the brutal race. There would be blood, perhaps death even. But there was one question that remained unanswered, not just in Magnus's mind, but in the minds of everyone inside the stadium:

_Who would rise above the rest and claim the prize?_

"Three!" a computerized voice shouted in front of the racers. One of the lights below the start sign suddenly flashed off a red glow.

"Two!" The second light illuminated to expand the red chain. Inside his vehicle, Falcon braced himself for a race of death and possible destruction.

"One!" Another light shining.

"_GO!_"

"The lights are green and the racers are off to a fast start!" Campbell announced. As he spoke, the machines soared at speeds that surprised even the Smashers themselves. For those within that particular group, it was now clear to them that Falcon was not lying when he once stated that an F-Zero machine could exceed the speed of sound.

"Good luck, Falcon," Dedede muttered, afterwards dropping pieces of sushi into his mouth.

* * *

Falcon was now in hot pursuit as he attempted to pass up his opponents. The Blue Falcon swerved left and right to avoid collisions while ascending a very steep portion of the track. A view of the cloudy skies could be seen as the vehicles were temporarily facing upwards, and it was a tranquil piece of scenery that was left ignored in a fast-paced environment. The track quickly became parallel to the earth of far below, just in time for a very sharp turn to the left.

"Woah," the captain grunted. His turn was marked by a collision with a vehicle to his right, though he refused to be distracted with attempts to discern the opposing racer's identity. Gravity began to pull his blood in different directions as the track began to twist itself into an upside-down orientation. The G-diffusers were all that prevented him and, by extension, the other racers from plummeting down to a gruesome fate. Meanwhile, the Unbound Serpent was picking up steam as it proceeded to bash opposing vehicles around it.

"Stay out of my way, fools," Magnus growled. As the racers approached what appeared to be a long corkscrew shape turned on its side, he seized his opportunity to smash one of his foes off a rail-free area.

_BLAM!_

The resulting impact pushed the victim, the Sonic Phantom to be more specific, into the massive depths below, but due to the current orientation of the track, the vehicle appeared to be soaring upwards. Unbeknownst to Magnus, the action was captured on sentinel-like cameras, which then transferred the images over to the stadium. Reactions to the elimination, now in the form of a replay, were mostly those of shock and awe; in particular, the Smashers were, aside from minor gasping, motionless statues that temporarily could not comprehend the aggressive behavior of the mysterious newcomer.

"I don't believe it!" Campbell exclaimed. "We're only partway through the first lap and already we have a racer who has retired from the battle! It looks like Hedin isn't taking any chances!"

"Right you are, Campbell-san," Kojima replied. "The Skull has been officially thrown off the tracks and into the city below. It's unlikely that he'll come back from such a devastating defeat! Now we are down to-"

"Wait a minute," Dedede muttered, snapping out of his shock, "Did you guys see the logo on the side of Magnus's machine? I'm seeing right now on the replay."

"Analyzing symbol," a fully-repaired R.O.B. replied. His mechanical eyes photographed the image of the dark captain's vehicle, preparing to analyze what the symbol represented. Oblivious to the intense action on the track, his computerized memory banks began pulling up every image stored within the past week, ranging from the ordinary, such as views of the Smash Mansion's many hallways, to the exciting; one certain photo involved an intense bout between Captain Falcon and Ganondorf, which occurred the day before Lillian arrived. As expected for one equipped with advanced technology, he eventually encountered what he needed, which was dated two days ago; his target was an image of Lillian conjuring pictures of her homeland's primary opponents, the Orm's Lords. If he was even capable of feeling any emotion beyond what he was programmed with, then one could say that he would be filled with shock and maybe even horror, for one particular detail matched exactly with what was presented on the screen.

"Match confirmed," the robot announced. "Symbol belongs to the organization known as the Orm's Lords, a dark organization seeking the pieces of the Staff of Björn."

"Fuck… Son of a…" Dedede gasped, almost choking on a piece of sushi. The sudden shock of the revelation caused his throat muscles to tighten up for a moment, as if they were attempting to prevent digestion from coming full circle. "How come we didn't see this before! Now Falcon's got an aggressive Lord on his tail and there's not much that we can do about it."

"Well, can't we just-" Peach started, ready to suggest an idea.

"I don't think so," Red interrupted. His head nodded sideways to ensure that his response was clear to the others. "If we try to interfere on Falcon's behalf, then we are almost guaranteed to be punished for our actions. Plus, Falcon might be disqualified from the Grand Prix completely, and you know what _that_ would do to our mission. The only thing that we can do is, well, to pray that he doesn't get killed by that captain."

"Well… I guess you're right, Red. It all boils down to fate now…"

* * *

Falcon was now on the sideways-facing corkscrew shape of the track. The world around him was a twisted spiral that seemed to behave like a wheel spinning without end, and it would impose upon any lesser being a severe feeling of sickness. But Falcon was no stranger to intense motion; if anything, it was actually one of the few drugs that he was truly addicted to, giving him a special high that not even Smash battles could provide. He would be relishing in it right now…

_BLAM!_

…except that there was an aggressor, Magnus to be more specific, preventing him from doing so. The husky man was shoving the Blue Falcon to the left to knock it off the tracks, especially since there was an incoming jump a short distance away.

"Not a chance," Falcon grumbled. He retaliated by performing a quick jerk to the right, which launched the Unbound Serpent right next to another vehicle. A stalemate inevitably followed when the two opposing captains simultaneously crushed their vehicles against each other, with no intention of backing down. They were like vicious animals battling to realize who was superior, all while caring little for the damage inflicted onto the environment, at least in Magnus's case. Seconds later…

_WHOOSH…!_

In the short time that the machines were gliding through the air, Falcon aimed his vehicle downwards to gain speed and break through the crowd. The landing proved to be trickier than he initially believed; the next part of the track was marked by a very small width, a lack of rails, and a very sharp turn to the right, which were easy spots to knock a racer into the city below. It also did not help that Magnus was constantly slamming into his vehicle from behind.

"This guy looks like he has a bone to pick with me," the good captain commented. Encountering another corkscrew, this one shorter and smaller than the last, he swerved constantly to avoid his aggressor, but stopped momentarily to restore his vehicle's energy via the recharging strips. Magnus, however, was able to keep with the swift movements and soon responded with a powerful slam that nearly caused the Blue Falcon to spin out of control. The gradual U-turn back into the stadium was not a smooth one because the loss of steady steering forced Falcon against one of the rails, stripping about an eighth of his machine's energy.

"Ouch!" Campbell commented. His voice was very ecstatic due to the exposure of the race's intense action. "Hedin's really throwing a heavy pummeling on the Blue Falcon. Can the good captain find a way out of his dilemma, or will he suffer the same fate as the Skull?"

When the machines passed the starting line to enter the second lap, they were all granted the ability to utilize a temporary boost in exchange for a small amount of energy. Falcon immediately took advantage of this new feature to evade Magnus more easily and break out of the crowd. As he exited the stadium for the second time in the race, the Smashers, excluding R.O.B., could feel their hearts being gripped by tension, a dark specter that would appear when uncertainty and creeping doom mixed with each other, especially in times of danger. Jigglypuff shuffled back and forth to dispel this heavy feeling from its mind and body, but this action was not too successful; it was so submerged in liquid nervousness that it was unable to restore tranquility within.

"Puff… Puff… Jigglypuff…" it moaned slowly.

"He's only got two more laps to go," Dedede commented. "But with a competition that's as fast-paced as F-Zero, anything goes…"

"Puff-"

"Another one bites the dust!" Kojima's voice suddenly boomed. Coinciding with this event was the large screen revealing an image of yet another machine being launched into the depths by Magnus. "The Unbound Serpent has thrown Mister EAD's vehicle, the Great Star, off the course! This race is down two competitors now!"

Back on the track, Captain Falcon was ahead of the others by a significant margin due to his use of the boost feature. As he returned to the corkscrew shape, he activated the booster once again to let the world spin even faster in his goal to win the race. Further away, Magnus began bashing all those who blocked his path to the finish, regardless of their intentions.

"You know what happens when you provoke my wrath?" he growled. "You will be punished with death!" Pushing his vehicle to the limit, he executed a spinning attack that, while not as powerful as a direct slam, caused all opponents around him to take noticeable damage; the entire scene was, to the announcers, the audience, and the Smashers, like witnessing a spinning top knocking a few marbles away, albeit in a more exaggerated manner.

"Hedin's really being reckless out there, more so than Pico usually is," Campbell stated. "With behavior like that, he's sure to cause more chaos! Now he's punching the boosters to catch up with Captain Falcon, who is way up in front and right by the recharging area. Masahiro, do you really believe that Hedin's aggressive style of racing is going earn him the win?"

"It all depends, Campbell-san," Kojima replied. "If he gets too distracted with wiping out all those around him, then some of his opponents might pass him up and take the victory away from him. But if he plays his cards right-"

The large screen suddenly transitioned to a view of Magnus stripping a vehicle of all its energy, causing a large explosion that possibly consumed the life of the pilot inside.

"Woah!" Kojima exclaimed. "We got a third racer out, this time by the loss of all energy! It looks like the Unbound Serpent has slammed into Samurai Goroh's vehicle, the Fire Stingray, one too many times, causing a grand explosion within the recharge area! There's almost no way Goroh could have survived that!"

"Well, he has cheated death many times in the past," Campbell interjected, doubting the certainty of Kojima's last statement. "We'll see if he's managed to avoid getting burned to ashes. In the meantime, the remains of the Fire Stingray will be escorted off the field by the cleanup crew."

"This guy is serious," Red muttered, slightly worried about Falcon's safety. "He's just wiping out everyone left and right like… like a bunch of incompetent weaklings. If he manages to get first place for the entire Grand Prix-"

"Relax, buddy," Dedede comforted. "Even if we can't step in to help, I'm sure Falcon's smart enough to outwit Magnus at his little game. And besides, what's Magnus going to do to help him win? Call in a horde of Lords to blast everything and everyone to a fiery end?"

"Well… Magnus doesn't look like the type of person to abide by the rules. But if he does interfere, then I guess we have a right and duty to step in as well."

"This is it, folks," a very eager Campbell stated. "We're down to the final lap and the leading racers are now neck-and-neck with each other! Hedin is about to pass up the Blue Falcon, but the good captain is now executing offensive maneuvers to stop him! Who will win in this battle of racers?!"

As the machines passed up the stadium for the final lap, Falcon and Magnus were locked in another stalemate. Once again, both sides were pushing against each other for dominance. They cared little about the other racers behind them. The twists and turns failed to break their concentration.

This was a deep struggle, not just for fame and glory, but for the fate of all realms.

"Get off my back," Falcon grunted. With a short shout, he slammed the Blue Falcon against the Unbound Serpent to throw the latter into the rails, which began to disappear as the track twisted upside down for the third time in the race. Magnus was quick to recover, however, and proceed to retaliate with a spin that almost launched the good captain off the track.

"You fool!" the obese man snarled. The anger inside him was causing his face to twist itself into a furious growl, revealing his yellowing teeth. "Do not interfere with my mission to revive the Holy Serpent! I shall punish you for your actions!"

Approaching the corkscrew, Falcon quickly changed priorities and began pushing his boosters to the limit, all in an attempt to avoid Magnus's vicious attacks. It was already clear that the dark captain was committing these aggressive actions just to slow him down, but it soon dawned upon the bounty hunter that there was another reason behind this when he took a small glimpse of the Unbound Serpent's side. One that was far more sinister…

Right next to where the number was printed was a serpent-like logo with a blood red coloring. Almost immediately, Falcon recognized this from an earlier image revealed by the mysterious maiden.

_Is that a Lord?_ he pondered. _How was able to enter the race without being suspected of anything?_

_WHAM!_

The loud collision suddenly knocked the racer out of his mind. His vehicle was attacked from behind, losing some of its energy in the process and causing a reduction in control. This was a potentially fatal problem, for the massive jump was fast approaching. If he was only slightly off…

"If it's the staff piece that you want, then you're not going to get it… not while I'm around," the good captain puffed. Engaging his boosters one last time, he soared valiantly across the large gap and landed with precision that almost seemed unreal. After the right turn, Falcon resumed evading all other vehicles, but for a different reason; due to his constant use of the boosters, the Blue Falcon's energy was dangerously low, approximately less than an eighth of the maximum possible value according to the vehicle's main display, and if he was struck a few more times, than his mission would take a crippling blow. The Unbound Serpent attempted to attack, but this action was not successful due to its target's high evasiveness. On the second corkscrew…

"Die right now…" Magnus snarled. With bloody rage inside of him, he executed one attack before arriving at the strips…

_CRACK!_

* * *

With the dark serpent fighting back against the heroic bird of prey, tension and excitement, or just pure tension for the Smashers, began to escalate within the stadium. It appeared that Falcon was about to lose this race and possibly the Grand Prix as a whole. Or… was he?

"Falcon's getting hit pretty hard here," Campbell announced. "Hedin's attempting to drain him of all energy! If this keeps up, the good captain will be knocked out of the race!"

"Let's just hope he doesn't end up in the exact position that he was stuck in a few years back," Kojima continued. "Do you remember the incident that got him a spot in-"

"Man, I take back what I just said," Dedede moaned. "This guy's smarter than he looks."

"I don't think I can watch this anymore," Peach sighed with discomfort. Her hands were strongly tempted to shield her eyes from the large screen, but a slight hint of willpower kept them chained to her thighs.

"Yeah, I second Peach's notion," Red chirped. Like the princess, he was very close to shielding his eyes, albeit with his cap. "There's almost no way Falcon's gonna survive with-"

"OH, MY GOODNESS!" Campbell bellowed. "Falcon just narrowly avoided a devastating hit from the Unbound Serpent! He's now on the energy strip and is boosting his way towards the stadium!"

Indeed, the Blue Falcon, at the last possible moment, avoided a fatal blow from the Unbound Serpent and was able to replenish all of its energy with the strips. Now ready to blast his way to the finish line, Falcon engaged the boosters and began rushing the U-turn to claim first place. Magnus, who had also restored his vehicle's energy, also pushed his boosters to the limit, but it was all in vain; not only was his boost power inferior to Falcon's, and in spite of having a higher top speed, but his final, extremely hasty attack resulted in a loss of both control and speed. Passing up the finish line, his blood began to boil with anger as he witnessed the good captain beating him to the destination.

"And Captain Falcon wins the race!" Kojima shouted. "What an amazing comeback! For a second there, I thought he would be completely obliterated, but my goodness, he just pulled through!"

"You're absolutely correct, Masahiro," Campbell replied. "Falcon's now gotten the lion's share of points for this race, and if he keeps this up, he will certainly be on his way to victory."

"Oh, man," Dedede gasped. The relief on his face spoke large volumes to the rest of the Smashers, who treated it as a representation of their general reactions. "That was way too close."

"Poyo," Kirby chirped, nodding in agreement with the king. "Poyo poyo."

"Yeah. I mean, he's still got around, what, five more races to participate in, but at least this victory is a start."

* * *

_Several minutes later…_

At the track, Falcon stepped out of his now-disabled vehicle after an extra lap around the track. His emergence brought out wild cheering from the stadium, especially from devoted fans of his. Levitating cameras seized their opportunity by circling around him to take snapshots for the news stations, forever solidifying the captain's already-famous reputation into the history of Port Town. Many of the other racers, who were just behind the captain's vehicle, joined the crowd in clapping, albeit to a lesser degree, and a few of them even went out of their way to congratulate him on his victory. However, there was an exception to this…

"So, you may have won this round," a seething Magnus whispered with dark, hellish anger in his voice. He was still within the comfort of the Unbound Serpent, not willing to hop into the bandwagon. "Well, just you wait. Regardless if you win or lose the Grand Prix, the piece will be mine either way. And if you think that you can easily surpass me, a deadly fate will await you, your partners, and all those that refuse to worship the serpent of salvation…"

As the elation continued within the stadium, a massive ship parked itself next to the backside of the structure. This vehicle was about the same size as the building it was adjacent to, perhaps even larger, and had the word "F-Zero" branded on its right side, which was facing the stadium. Its coloring was mostly a dull gray, but the door leading into the bottom part was painted a fluorescent white. A few seconds after its landing, the door itself opened up to reveal a large hangar bay for storing all the competitors' respective machines. On an automatic cue, many of the racers began driving their vehicles to store them for the next race, set to occur later today; this was possible thanks to an alternate route on the track reserved only for delivering machines to and from any course used in the Grand Prix. There were only two exceptions to this.

"What the hell?!" Samurai Goroh roared. This bandit boss was very muscular in stature and possessed a gruff tone of voice, which all served to increase his ability to intimidate most foes. Right behind the brown vest and above the blue jeans-black boots combination was a muscle shirt adorned with a kanji symbol on the front, which few people could translate. The top of his head was adorned with a piece of headwear decorated with the Japanese flag and black glasses were present over his eyes. He was previously escorted off the tracks by the pickup crew that disposed of his trashed vehicle. And right now, he was in a full-blown rage over his humiliating loss. "I can't believe that I've been beaten so easily by a single driver that I don't even know! Really, just ONE DRIVER! I'll get him for this if it's the last thing I do…"

"Better call in the Falcon Flyer," the good captain muttered. Activating his helmet, he proceeded to summon his secondary vehicle to escort the Blue Falcon off the tracks… and to bring the Smashers back to his residence until later.

* * *

_Back at Captain Falcon's residence…_

"You did great out there, Falcon," Red complimented. "Keep it up and we'll have the piece in no time."

"Thank you," the captain replied. "It was a tough race, what with the Lord pursuing me relentlessly, but it was well worth it."

"Jigglypuff?" the Balloon Pokémon asked. It appeared that it was growing hungry, with its air-filled stomach growling slightly and its tone of voice demanding for some food; it did not eat at the stadium due to a strong dislike for the choices there. "Puff. Jigglypuff."

"I have some berries in the refrigerator," Falcon answered. "I'll get some for you right now."

As the bounty hunter guided himself towards the kitchen, Jigglypuff relaxed its body to escape from the mental disturbances caused by the dark adventure. It was here that it truly began to observe the scenery within the secluded home. The floors were composed of clean, properly waxed wood that appeared to shine when exposed to bright lights, and the walls were spotless portraits of different colors, mainly pale tan and blue. Windows leading up to the back provided a grand view of the ocean which Port Town forever sat close to; there was also a close-up view of a pool cleansed daily by ultraviolet rays. Lights in the form of ceiling-mounted lamps and glowing rods hanging from above illuminated the room with a color that came close to matching what the sun was blessed with. There was a high-definition television in the middle of the central area, accompanied by small sofas and a small coffee table painted with the color black. Opposite to the kitchen area was a marble-and-steel stairway leading up to the second floor.

This truly was a beautiful area to behold. Were the bounty hunter more socially active, he would most likely have guests visiting this place as frequently as they do with museums.

"I got you some berries, Jigglypuff," Falcon's voice suddenly knocked the Balloon Pokémon back into reality. There was now a wide assortment of berries in front of it, ranging from the lush strawberries to the more subdued-looking blackberries. Not waiting any longer, it approached the bowl and began chowing down like a starved predator.

"So, where's the next race at?" Red asked, fumbling with one of his Poké Balls.

"The second will take place at Sand Ocean," the captain responded. "I've heard that the proprietors of the race made some radical changes to the original course used many years ago. Now, keep in mind that all of the courses used for the Platinum Cup are new, so the exact shape of each will remain hidden until the time comes."

"Why's that?"

"Maybe they want to surprise each racer, but overall, your guess is as good as mine."

"Hmm… I guess we shouldn't worry about it too much. The one we _do_ need to worry about is-"

But the conversation was cut short when a constant beeping sound echoed throughout Falcon's helmet. It was fairly sudden, needless to say, but it was still not enough to outright startle the captain. Reacting accordingly, he responded to an incoming call, which happened to be originating from Doctor Stewart.

"Hey there," the doctor sighed. His on-screen face appeared emotionless, though the concerned tone of voice appeared to contradict this image. "Are you watching the news right now?"

"No," Falcon answered. "I'm just resting for the next race today. You got something that you need to tell me?"

"Actually, yes. There's been a news report describing the appearance of messages right next to the crash sites of both the Sonic Phantom and the Great Star. The words appear to be scrawled with blood."

"Blood? But the Skull is just a skeleton with machinery on his body and EAD is an android. There's no way that they could-"

"True. I think they might have gotten the blood from somewhere else. Anyway, I'm sending you the images right now. They might disturb you to some extent, but I'm sure you won't freak out completely."

A few seconds later, Stewart fulfilled his promise. As dark photographs filled up the screen, a disturbing trend began to assume a definite shape. All four of them had bloody messages scrawled on a nearby wall, which were clearly illuminated by the flaming wreckages of each vehicle. In all capital letters, the first, next to the Sonic Phantom, read:

_IT IS COMING_

The second statement, which was closer to the Great Star, read:

_IT SHALL BRING SALVATION TO ALL WHO BELIEVE_

"What the hell…" Falcon gasped. He was not completely scared by the mortifying pictures, but they did cause his eyebrows to quirk up at the sight of such. This was definitely a warning to the common citizens of Port Town, but… they were completely clueless about the existence of both the Svärtad Orm and the cultists who praised that damned monster. How were they supposed to prepare for a maelstrom of destruction unless the threat was averted?

"I take it that the Lords are the ones who wrote the message, correct?" Stewart asked.

"…yes," the bounty hunter replied. "Also, were you in the stadium during the race?"

"Yes. I was actually sitting a few rows behind your teammates, though I don't believe that they've seen me at the time. Why do you ask that?"

Falcon cracked his knuckles slightly before continuing. "That's because a Lord has been able to register for the Platinum Cup without anyone suspecting him of anything, but I guess that shouldn't be surprising to us for obvious reasons. He knocked the Skull and EAD off the track and almost destroyed the Blue Falcon as well."

Stewart paused for a short period of time. He had already witnessed the brutal nature of the Lords back at the factory, but this latest atrocity just topped it all off. To him, the populace of Port Town was now under a hidden threat, which would inevitably lead to mass murder and destruction unless Falcon and his group stepped in to defend the innocent souls. For now, he would have to take the responsibility of assisting his fellow racer to ensure that millions of lives were safe from harm.

"Okay then," he finally sighed. "I'll meet up with your teammates at Sand Ocean. If the Lords try anything, I might be able to help out."

The transmission was interrupted before Falcon could conjure any more words in his mind. With nothing better to do, he decided to reveal the news to his fellow Smashers.

"It looks like the Lords are sending disturbing messages to the people in the city," he grunted. "They're using blood from somewhere to, dare I say it, decorate the crash sites of the Sonic Phantom and the Great Star."

"You mean the two vehicles that were knocked off, right?" Dedede chirped, twisting his hammer slightly.

"Poyo," Kirby answered in the affirmative.

"Well, that's disturbing in at least three different ways. Guess we better step up our vigilance then..."

* * *

_At Sand Ocean, evening…_

"Welcome to the second race of the Platinum Cup!" Campbell announced. "Once again, I'm Derek Campbell and I'm here with my partner, Masahiro Kojima."

"Thank you," Kojima added. "We're out here in Sand Ocean tonight, and it looks like the sandstorms here are getting pretty furious! Let's just hope they don't drag the racers off the course."

The locale outside the second track was drastically different from the first. Instead of being located in a bustling metropolis, it was stuck in a planet composed almost entirely of vast deserts. The only thing that seemed to break the uniform character of the scenery, aside from the track itself, was a set of ruins placed hundreds of kilometers away. The extreme distance, combined with the night's low lighting, obscured nearly all of the details representing the abandoned structure, which was widely assumed to have been left by an ancient civilization, but the observers of tonight's race were in no mood to care; except for the Smashers and Stewart, the intense action of the race was all that they were craving. Once again, they were flocking to the stands by the hundreds.

"Hey, maybe some of us should be at the building's outer area in case the Lords decide to attack us," Red suggested. "This Magnus guy doesn't strike me as the type who would play by the rules."

"I'll be on watch," Dedede declared. "R.O.B. and Jigglypuff will be coming with me as support."

"Puff," the air-filled creature chirped. "Jigglypuff."

"I shall be of assistance," the robot spoke. Wasting no time at all, the trio separated themselves from the rest of the group, who were now accompanied by an approaching Stewart.

"Where are those three going?" the doctor asked as he noticed some of Falcon's teammates leaving.

"They'll be on the lookout for any suspicious activity that may happen during the race," Peach responded. "Red said that Magnus Hedin, the man who is driving the Unbound Serpent, looks like the type who wouldn't play by the rules, which I have a feeling that might be true, considering the nature of the Lords. The rest of us will stay here to watch the race… and to act as backup in case Dedede's group gets into serious trouble."

Stewart nodded at the statement. "Sounds like a plan. Now, let's wait and see if the Lords try to do anything funny."

"Poyo," Kirby squeaked. "Poyo-poyo? Poyo."

A glare of confusion was fired at the puffball. "I'm sorry, but can you…?"

"You'll have to excuse Kirby," Red interrupted. "He really can't speak our own language, so you kinda have to decipher his words by examining his motions and expressions. That's how we can understand him."

Kirby then repeated his previous statement. "Poyo-poyo? Poyo."

Stewart realized that the hero of Dream Land was pointing at the machines below. It took him a few second to realize what was being asked. "Well, yes I do take part in F-Zero races from time to time. Why do you ask?"

"Poyo-poyo?"

"Oh, you're asking why I'm not in this race. Well, I've recently been getting involved in a government-funded project that can help out certain people who have been severely injured in a traumatic event, such as an accident."

Kirby scratched his head with one of his stubby arms. A face of confusion also sprang up from within. "Poyo…?"

"Um… I really can't tell you the exact details. Much of the project contains classified information and should not be revealed to the public."

As the Smashers fell silent, the F-Zero machines prepared for another fierce battle over the first-place trophy. G-diffusers were engaged. Most of the pilots prepared themselves for death and destruction. The countdown was ready to start the madness.

"Three! Two! One! _GO!_"

"And the second race has just started, with some intense action already underway!" Campbell boomed for the millionth time. "Can they survive the sandstorms that plague this area?"

* * *

The initial straight path suddenly gave way to a path that was perpetually stuck in an upside-down orientation, pushing the blood of all racers to their heads. Neither Falcon nor Magnus was impacted by this, however, and both tackled the extreme U-turn with sharp accuracy. Shifting sands raged overhead and provided a dark, yellowish mist that threatened to block out all sight, which some racers avoided by shifting sideways. With an inside-out loop approaching, Magnus resumed his aggressive behavior by tackling foes left and right.

"Oh, must I kill more worthless maggots to achieve my kills?" he hissed. "Oh, wait; I shall! Hahaha!" He knocked one of his foes against the rails to speed ahead and attempt to usurp Falcon of the lead. Passing the loop and leaving the upside-down segment of the track, he claimed his first prey of the second race by slowly crushing his earlier victim to death. The black snake soon injected a poison that resulted in a large explosion on the track; just like his very first kill, this event was caught on camera.

"Once again, Hedin is not hesitating to destroy some of his opponents!" Kojima announced. "He literally just crushed Billy's vehicle, the Mad Wolf, against the rails, causing it to explode! There's no way the big ape even survived that!"

"And it seems likely that he _was_ obliterated, especially when he lacks Goroh's ability to cheat death at will," Campbell commented.

* * *

_Within the stadium's outer ring…_

"Have you guys seen anything suspicious yet?" the self-proclaimed king of Dream Land asked. By now, the area was not as densely populated in comparison to mere minutes ago; from where his group was at, few people ever passed through because many of those attending were already seated. The ones that were still wandering around were searching for a restroom, trying to find something to eat, or struggling to find their seating.

"Negative," R.O.B. beeped.

"Puff…" the Balloon Pokémon sighed. As it and the others strolled around to ensure that they were not missing anything, they were blissfully unaware of a hidden force slowly and silently stalking them.

"_They are growing increasingly suspicious of our captain,_" a cloaked Lord whispered. Like the squadron back at the abandoned factory, he was clothed in a specialized suit designed to reflect light and essentially render the wearer invisible. He was very close to the ceiling thanks to levitation and was safely out of earshot of everyone except for his partner.

"_Once they are clearly isolated from all others in this stadium,_" his partner, a Lady, whispered, "_We shall attack with all our might. They may have bested us in the previous battle, but this time, they will into darkness… forever._"

As the hidden duo slowly trailed behind, the three Smashers, after performing a full sweep of the outer ring, came to realize that there was nothing suspicious at all; in fact, the area seemed… fairly normal, for a lack of better words. No Lords or out-of-place objects were witnessed to begin with. Maybe Magnus truly was alone for now, right?

But then, an idea suddenly leaped into the greedy king's mind. He and his partners had not checked out the more obscure locations within the stadium, such as the maintenance hallways. If they could check those areas, preferably without being caught, then they would possibly earn a solid lead. This was risky because they could possibly be caught by authorities in the building, but…

There was no alternative.

"Okay, we need to check out the maintenance hallways," the king grunted, slowly brandishing his trusty hammer as he spoke. "Maybe we can find some Lords hiding in there."

"Jigglypuff?" the puffball questioned, unsure of the plan's possible success.

"Well, it's the only option right now-"

"And we now have lost a fourth racer in the overall Platinum Cup!" Campbell's strong voice sounded in the distance. "Antonio Guster's Green Panther has been thrown into the sands below after it was brutally beaten by the Unbound Serpent!"

* * *

Back on the track, Captain Falcon, now on the second lap, could still see the image of the Green Panther exploding and then falling down repeating in his mind, even as he continued to speed all the way up to the inverted loop. If Magnus really was dead set on slaughtering all the competitors like helpless sheep, he believed, then the Unbound Serpent would have to be eliminated from the race, perhaps permanently. But therein resided the problem; the dark captain was very dangerous and had the potential to easily crush foes under his ferocious might, recently demonstrated by the absolute destruction of Guster's vehicle. Attempting to attack head-on would pose significant risk and may even result in death for Falcon himself. Besides, since the Platinum Cup was still in the earlier races, losing the Blue Falcon now would destroy the lead he had gained in the first race, if he was not killed first.

For now, Magnus would have to be ignored until the later races, where Falcon's lead would not be in as much jeopardy.

"Catch me if you can, Magnus," he sighed. The boosters were quickly engaged and carried the Blue Falcon further away from the pack of F-Zero machines. The increase in speed was enough to provide a massive leap from a steep ramp leading into a road filled with serpentine turns, some of which did not feature any rails.

_WHOOSH…!_

Upon landing, Falcon utilized quick jerks and reduced his speed slightly to avoid launching himself into the sands below. As he proceeded with his plan, however, Magnus was approaching him, and fast.

"Die for me, Falcon," the obese figure snarled. "Let me spill your blood onto this course so I can the staff piece for myself." As he soon he stopped speaking, he engaged his boosters to ram into the Blue Falcon.

_CRACK!_

* * *

_Inside the maintenance hallways…_

"Gee," Dedede sighed. "It sure is a little dark in here, especially considering the current time of day. Would it kill the proprietors to add a little more light to this area?"

"Activating LED flashlights," R.O.B. beeped. For the second time during the adventure, his eyes provided light to a fairly dim area. While the concrete hallways were not completely dark like the factory, the few bulbs in the area were not strong enough to provide adequate lighting. The air here was also very rank, possessing a faint yet unpleasant scent that contrasted with the rest of the stadium's clean atmosphere. Maybe there was something inside that was source of all this, but actually searching for said object was not a priority at the moment, or even at all. Noise levels were at a bare minimum, with the only sounds present being the footsteps of Dedede and Jigglypuff, R.O.B.'s whirring motors, and the air blowing through the overhead pipes. The overall scenery just felt… dead.

"Puff-Jiggly," the Pokémon chirped quietly. The hallways, from its perspective, seemed to drag on forever. "Jigglypuff."

"Yeah, now that you just brought it up," Dedede muttered, "It does seem like there's no end to these hallways. R.O.B., can you perform a quick scan to see if there's anything or anyone in the area?"

"Affirmative," R.O.B. complied. "Scanning now…" As the robot performed the request with no hesitation, Dedede sat against one of the concrete walls and rested his hammer against it. The wall itself would have chilled his skin to the bone, were it not for the robe, but that was the least of his worries. For some reason, he was starting to become tired, possibly due to the current time of day. In almost any other situation, rest would certainly help him out, but the fact that there were possible hostiles inside the structure meant that relax would have to wait until later. Furthermore, the hallways were beginning to remind him of the sinister discovery from yesterday, one that would remain on his mind for perhaps the rest of his life.

Blood splattered on all possible surfaces…

Corpses that were dismembered and mutilated beyond recognition…

Foes that were hiding out of plain sight thanks to their cloaking technology…

The lattermost detail especially disturbed him, as the cloaking suits were able to give the dark cultists the element of surprise, which had successfully caught the Smashers off-guard. But… that would certainly not happen here because of the presence of guards and cameras… or would it?

"Scan complete," R.O.B. announced. "Three lifeforms detected on this floor."

"Jigglypuff?" Jigglypuff asked.

The robot cocked his head to the right, towards a possible pathway at a nearby intersection. "They are located further down the nearby hallway to the north."

"Well, let's go check them out," the king sighed. "Hope they're not dead yet…"

With swiftness, the trio executed a right turn before traveling an unspecified amount of meters to their destination. The cold air, once subtle and unmoving, began blowing into their faces without any warning. Jigglypuff, due to its slow movement on the ground, was forced to puff up and float to keep up with the others. Dedede's heart raced like mad as it proceeded to pump blood at a faster pace than normal; the lack of any real exercise, not counting Smash battles or the current adventure, forced a bit of strain upon the cardiovascular organ, resulting in a somewhat rapid decrease in endurance. R.O.B. had no problem keeping up as he was not hindered by the problems the other two were cursed with. The hallways were fairly long, but they were not enough to prevent the trio from reaching the end of the line… which was marked by three security guards sprawled all over the floor.

"Woah, what happened here?" Dedede sputtered, shocked at the scene in front of him.

"Puff?" the Pokémon squeaked, unsure if the guards were truly alive.

"Nah, for some reason, I don't think they're unconscious. I'll have to check their pulses for confirmation."

But the answer presented itself all but too soon for the king and his two partners. As soon as the former reached out to feel the carotid artery of each guard, it was all too clear. They were definitely not conscious in the slightest. They were…

"Guys, I hate to say this, but…" the king sighed in a depressed tone, "They're done for. I don't how they were disposed of, but regardless…"

"Bodily scans indicate signs of pre-mortem strangulation," R.O.B. interrupted, having finished a scan on the deceased men. "The deaths occurred a few hours ago."

"Great. Just great. Now we have a killer who's possibly hiding in this building, and if said killer turns out to be... well, y'know..."

"Puff," Jigglypuff concurred.

"Anyway, let's just keep searching before Falcon finishes the race-"

_CRACK! SCZ…_

"Oh, what now?" the greedy king groaned. Within a split second, the lights in the hallway had exploded very suddenly, leaving bits of glass on the floor and enshrouding the area in complete darkness. Jigglypuff nearly tumbled back at this sudden event and quickly approached R.O.B. to remain in close proximity to the LED flashlights. Dedede pulled out his hammer to prepare for another battle, but nothing appeared to present itself this time… or so he believed.

_Tap… Tap…_

"Puff?" Jigglypuff asked. "Jigglypuff?"

"What, you mean that tapping noise?" Dedede muttered. "I'm not sure where it's coming from, but I don't think trying to find the source is a good idea. Do you remember what happened last time?"

"Puff… Jigglypuff!"

"Hey, get back here!"

But the king's warning fell on deaf ears as the Balloon Pokémon ventured off into the unknown, with R.O.B. following suit. Dedede was now frustrated to a slight degree; assuming that there was something causing the faint noise, it was possible that the two were wandering into a deadly trap of sorts, most likely organized by the Orm's Lords. He remained immobile to weigh the possible options on what to do next.

"Oh, man…" he groaned. "I really need to get after them soon so they don't fall into a trap. But if I do try to go after them, I might get caught as well. Okay, what to do…? You know what, screw this. I'm heading after them."

In hot pursuit, Dedede stumbled his way to his allies by following R.O.B.'s light. Being one of the slower Smashers, he could not keep up with the duo's quicker speed, but he remained determined to not lose them completely. About thirty seconds into this chase, however, the LED flashlights were suddenly deactivated, which was then followed by the former Ancient Minister suddenly shutting down.

"Flashlights… deactivated…" the robot spoke as his voice became progressively slower and deeper. Eventually, the voice faded away completely, which now started to disturb Dedede as he began to assume that something ominous was happening.

"Hey, what the hell's going on over there?" he called out. "R.O.B.? Jigglypuff? Can you guys hear me?"

No response.

"Hello, are you guys there? C'mon, don't be playing some stupid prank on me. Jigglypuff, can you get R.O.B.'s flashlights back up?"

Silence.

"Hello…?" The king's voice was now starting to tremble slightly as he tried to wonder just what was going on with his two teammates. Hopefully, they were still alive, he believed. But then…

"_**JIGGLYPUUUUUUUUFF!**_"

"HEY!" the king shouted, leaping back in surprise. "WHAT'S HAPPENING-"

_WHAP!_

* * *

The race was now on its final lap. Two more racers had been eliminated from the race, no thanks to Magnus: Pico, pilot of the Wild Goose, and Baba, pilot of the Iron Tiger. With these two losses, there were now six racers who were completely eliminated from the revamped Platinum Cup, and the number would have been greater if Goroh had not survived his vehicle's explosion. Speaking of which, Goroh was now attempting to smash Magnus's vehicle to pieces, which only allowed the former's primary rival to soar ahead with little interference.

"Get over here, you sonuvabitch!" the bandit growled. As the Fire Stingray lashed out against the black snake, Magnus felt heavy shockwaves rattling his vehicle, which ultimately convinced him to strike back against this new threat. With one swift motion, he slammed Goroh against one of the rails in order to crush him good like he did with Billy. But, unlike the primate, Goroh began fighting back successfully by utilizing the drift function in conjunction with the boosters to avoid a gruesome fate.

"You fucking fool," Magnus spat, "I will have your head for that!" He then spiraled around to smack the bandit, but this action was only met with a harsh attack that resulted in the Unbound Serpent losing an eighth of its energy, dropping it down only to half strength. Meanwhile, the Blue Falcon, now trapped within the field of turns, began slowing down for the final time in the race. The earlier attack from Magnus had removed about a third of its energy, primarily due to being slammed against the rails, but this was not the good captain's primary concern. What really worried him were the turns; they were so sharp to the point where they almost seemed ridiculous, and one reckless move could cost him dearly.

"Almost there…" he gasped. Reaching the last two turns, he noticed that a few of the opposing racers, including Magnus and Goroh, were beginning to catch up with him, some due to abuse of the boosters. This would have tempted the bounty hunter into speeding up, but he remained calm and instead waited until leaving the turn-ridden field to speed his way through a wave-like portion of the track. The boost pads on the ground were helpful in this regard as they allowed him to speed up without sacrificing energy in the process.

"First place is mine," he grunted. After passing the energy strips, he encounter the sideways-facing turn for the last time before rushing all the way to the finish line. Once again, cheering echoed through the air as Falcon's victory was officially recognized.

"And Captain Falcon claims first place for the second time!" Campbell cheered. "He now has even more of an advantage over the other racers in the Platinum Cup! From the way things are looking right now, he will certain be on his way-"

_WHOOSH!_

"And Samurai Goroh has made an amazing comeback with his second-place finish! Now that is what I call redemption, but can the bandit boss keep up with the others in the later races?"

Within the stands, cheering and elation resonated within the hearts of all, even those who were not necessarily hardcore fans of F-Zero. In essence, this scene was a near-repeat of time, but with one exception…

"Hey, what's taking them so long?" Red muttered, concerned for the safety of King Dedede and his group.

"I don't have a clue as to what exactly is holding them back," Stewart answered. "However, I fear that they may have been…"

"Been what, doc?" The trainer lifted his cap to notice an expression of uncertainty upon the doctor's face.

"Nothing; I'm fairly certain that they can take care of themselves with no problem at all. Besides, you have already shown to me that you can defeat a group of-"

"GUYS!"

"What..." Peach gasped. "Is that Dedede?"

"Poyo," Kirby chirped as he pointed at the king. The "ruler" of Dream Land limped down the stairway in a sluggish, wobbly fashion, almost as if one of his legs had been broken. His free hand was pressed against the side of his head, and his face screamed shades of serious pain. Almost immediately, the remaining members of the group approached him to figure out what was wrong.

"Hey, what happened to you?" Red asked. "And where are the others?"

"We were… exploring the maintenance hallways… to see if the Lords were in the stadium…" the king groaned painfully, sounding out of breath as he spoke. "While inside, the bulbs suddenly… exploded… and we then heard some weird tapping… noise… Jigglypuff and R.O.B. decided to follow it… R.O.B. suddenly got deactivated before I heard Jigglypuff scream…"

"And what happened after that?" Stewart asked.

"I got KO'd… When I came to, they were gone…"

* * *

Down below, Goroh approached the Unbound Serpent in a threatening but haughty manner. This was now the time to show the fool what would happen if he was ever harassed again, he believed. With full force, he pounded the dark vehicle's windshield to the point of nearly cracking it.

"Hey, you!" the bandit yelled. "Yeah, I know you can hear me. Just to let ya know, if you think that it's a good idea to throw my vehicle off the tracks, then I'll have to give you... a wake-up call, if you know what I mean! And I got just the methods needed to do the job!"

Magnus did not verbally respond. Instead, he unleashed a sinister glare at Goroh, which did little to intimidate the bandit. After about a minute, the pilot of the Fire Stingray removed himself from the Unbound Serpent's immediate vicinity. This gave the dark captain the opportunity to redirect his eyes at Falcon, who was once again surrounded by cameras and friendly pilots.

"Your efforts will all be in vain…" he hissed. He cracked his thick knuckles before continuing. "It matters not if you win or lose…"

* * *

_A few hours later, at Falcon's residence…_

"So, let me get this straight," Falcon sighed. His head was nodding in disbelief at the news spouted from Dedede's wide mouth. "You're saying that Jigglypuff and R.O.B. were kidnapped?"

"Sadly, yeah," the king replied. "I don't know where they were taken or who the kidnappers were, but we gotta find them sometime soon. For all we know, the attackers could be planning to kill them right now."

"Hmm… Now this is a bit troublesome. We need to find them sometime soon, but I have the Platinum Cup to attend to. So, here's how the plan will go tomorrow; once I drop off the Blue Falcon at the third race, I will temporarily lend the Falcon Flyer to you guys and Stewart. You must use it to search all over Port Town."

"But what about Sand Ocean?" Red questioned. "The kidnappers could have taken Jigglypuff and R.O.B. somewhere else on that planet."

"No; that planet is made up of nothing but sand dunes and ruins. I seriously doubt that they have an established base there. Besides, I have a feeling that the kidnappers may actually be… You know who I'm talking about."

Red adjusted his cap before replying to the captain. "Okay. We'll search for those two while you head to the Grand Prix. Good luck on the next race, by the way."

"Thank you." The captain proceeded to exit the living room and stroll towards his bedroom, the only one of its kind within the home. As he did so, snow began to gently fall upon the full diameter of Port Town, gradually painting the city a gentle white. Meanwhile, the ocean was now a pitch-black color, its previous beauty corrupted by the dark essence of the night. None of the remaining Smashers seem to take notice, however, and, as such, were blissfully unaware of the black rose's blossoming…

* * *

After a long blackout period, Jigglypuff opened up its round eyes. The area around it was blurry for a moment due to drowsiness, but it was soon clear that it and R.O.B. were stuck inside a metallic room with next to no lighting at all. The only thing that provided any sort of illumination was a small chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The chandelier itself was equipped with candles lit with dark purple flames, which only further drenched the room in a foreboding atmosphere that chilled the Balloon Pokémon to the very core. The front of the room was decorated with a wooden door that contrasted with the metallic walls.

"Puff…?" it squeaked. It strolled over to R.O.B. to reactive him. "Jigglypuff…"

_Beep!_

"Functions restored," the robot chirped, with his voice regaining its normal clarity, speed, and pitch. "Power was lost due to an unexpected shutdown."

"Jigglypuff!" The puffball leaped in short-lived joy over R.O.B.'s well-being.

"Hello, Jigglypuff."

"Jiggly-"

But the door suddenly creaked open to reveal two unidentified figures, one being large and bulky, and the other appearing smaller and thinner.

* * *

_An hour earlier…_

"_Lillian…_" the light-haired man croaked. After being presumed dead by his foes, he had survived the assault that left him impaled in multiple places. It was all thanks to a healing spell that he had recently utilized, which reduced the severity of his injuries, but not by a significant amount. He was still suffering from massive blood loss and reduced movement, the latter caused by a mix of weaker body strength and a circle-shaped wound imprinted on one of his legs.

"_Where are you…?_" he croaked again. By this point, his strength was on the verge of failing him completely. His vision began to spiral relentlessly. The blood from his body heavily stained his clothes and even began dripping onto the ground. His arms wobbled as he struggled to carry his sword. The cold wind blowing through the forest was making his body even colder than it already was, and it was threatening to curse him with the spell of hypothermia. Some of the roses on the ground were flattened and stained with blood.

"_Speak… to… me…_" he sighed weakly. Eventually, the pain was so severe that he ended up collapsing right next to a gentle stream. The mist filled up his vision with a shade of white, which seemed to illuminate the forest with a softer vibe. It also seemed to reduce his pain noticeably, as if it had pain-suppressing magic by its side. This seemed to comfort the man, needless to say, by a large degree; if he was going to perish, then at least he would not be in intense agony like he was when the Lords nearly butchered him. Oh, well... At least he tried to save the kingdom…

Wait. There was a strange figure approaching from the mist, but it was not a Lord by any means. Who could that person be…?

"_Help…_" the man whispered. But before he could identify his potential savior, he blacked out completely.

* * *

_Man, I really should've expected this kind of scenario when R.O.B., Jigglypuff, and I entered the hallways. I had unwittingly led them to a trap that has gotten them captured, which also happened to incapacitate me. I know the others realize that it isn't my fault because I wasn't aware of the foes that were stalking me, but I just can't help but feel like this is all my fault. Oh, boy…_

_Regardless, I now must take the responsibility of rescuing the two from the kidnappers, which is much unlike me because I'm usually one of the lazier Smashers in general. I suspect that the Lords are behind this, but I can't jump to conclusions yet._

_-King Dedede_

* * *

**And that's it for the first part of the Platinum Cup. There'll be more races to come, but will Falcon win them all, or will Magnus beat him to the punch? Also, on the next chapter, we will finally get to see what happened to Peach during the adventure that left her in critical condition. **

**A/N:**

**-While I was writing this chapter, it came to my attention that there was an actual Platinum Cup on **_**F-Zero: GP Legend. **_**However, given that the Staff of Björn is made primarily out of platinum, I decide that there would an altered version of the cup to fit in with the storyline, especially considering that _GP Legend_ is set in a different continuity. Hope it makes a bit more sense.**

**-I derived Magnus's surname from mass murderer Tore Hedin, who was a corrupt police officer known for killing nine people and injuring ten to twenty more. This choice in surnames will make more sense as more of Magnus's background is revealed (and the same thing will apply to both Lillian and Agnetha, albeit to a lesser extent). **

**-In the F-Zero continuity, it is stated that Captain Falcon was caught in a bad accident that left him hospitalized, as mentioned by one of the announcers (Kojima). This event was also the basis for Black Shadow stealing the captain's DNA to create Blood Falcon.**

**-Guess whose names I used to create one of the announcer's names? Take your chances.**

**-Fun fact: The kanji symbol on Goroh's shirt means "extreme".**


	16. Captain Falcon's Theatre: Part 3

Captain Falcon's Theatre (pt. 3): Disaster

* * *

**The snow's falling and we're deep into the night. As promised, this chapter will show us what happened to Peach during the adventure. What exactly did she suffer through? Read to find out.**

* * *

_The heralding of snow is marked by a sort of beauty unlike any other…_

_The whiteness that overtakes the terrain is filled with peaceful bliss, something that the other seasons fail to provide…_

_It is pleasing to the eye and lures many into its grasp…_

_Its presence is often enhanced by other phenomena of the winter, such as the aurorae of the sky…_

_However, this beauty is tainted by the sorrowful grip of death…_

_The freezing temperatures force many types of life to flee from the curses present, such as frostbite…_

_The few that are unable to escape are left to perish, slowly and with agony overloading every nerve…_

_In addition, the so-called bliss can instead be interpreted as a form of coldness and isolation due to the harsh properties the snow itself possesses…_

_In a way, it is comparable to the black rose in regards to properties…_

_Both are beautiful, both are tainted with death…_

* * *

_An hour before midnight…_

"Why do we have to wait until tomorrow?" Dedede sighed to himself. By this point, he was resting on a spare mattress placed inside a spare room of Captain Falcon's estate. The room itself was fairly empty except for the bed, the inactive lamp hanging overhead, and a solitary window at the far wall; the lattermost feature was beginning to have frost develop at its very edges due to the freezing temperatures outside. The estate was, thankfully, outfitted with an air conditioning system that kept the area warm and gentle, but that was the least of the king's concerns. For the past few hours, he was plagued by a disease of worry that appeared to stem from the kidnappings of R.O.B. and Jigglypuff; with Falcon's decision to wait until tomorrow, the king, normally one so apathetic and greedy, now feared that he and the others would not be able to reach the duo before they were injured or even killed. It was understandable that the good captain had to rest up for the Platinum Cup, but still…

If only he and the others could just venture out into the city in order to successfully rescue R.O.B. and Jigglypuff, perhaps with the Falcon Flyer in their possession…

Furthermore, there was a nagging voice attempting to fill his head with pessimistic thoughts, not letting up for a single second.

_They're dead… They're already dead… There is no point in searching for them… It's not worth dragging your teammates with you… You will only end up in more trouble than you can imagine…_

"No, they're not dead yet," Dedede retorted. "If the attackers wanted R.O.B. and Jigglypuff dead, then they would've resorted to murder back at Sand Ocean. There has to be a reason why the two are being held captive. Interrogation? Hostage holding? I don't know the exact reason. What I _do_ know is that they are in danger and need to be rescued as soon as possible. If Falcon's not gonna look for them, then I will. Who knows how guilty I will feel if I refuse to do anything…"

_You refuse to listen… The behavior that you exhibit will be your downfall… You should listen to what Captain Falcon had ordered you to do…_

The king nodded his head in disgust. "Shut up. You're only saying that so that you can prevent me from commencing my search. Well, you're not going to stop me."

_Wait…_

Ignoring the voice in his head, Dedede rolled out of his bed and proceeded to quietly stroll into the trophy room on the second floor, where Red was resting. Unlike the previous area, Red's resting place was decorated with shelves of trophies belonging to the legendary racer, all of them adorned with his name at the base of each: Douglas Falcon. Most of them were also colored gold, which was the perfect color for a powerful shine to happen… except that there was no light. In the center of the room was the trainer himself, immobile and conveniently placed on a mattress. There was a blanket covering up the majority of his body, which only served to further shield him from the cold chills of winter.

"Hey, Red," the king whispered. As he spoke, he began to gradually approach the Pokémon owner to make his voice more audible. "Wake up. I need you for something…"

Red was unresponsive. In fact, he was sailing away in the sea of unconsciousness, far away from the coastline that was his active consciousness. He was so deep within the dark waters that they left him unable to hear Dedede's voice to any degree, which forced the bulky monarch to resort to physical action.

"C'mon, can you please wake up?" Dedede sighed again. He shook the trainer ever so softly, and before long, there finally came a reaction. Red's eyes opened up to reveal the king grabbing him by the shoulders; the trainer nearly pulled back at that sight but calmed down immediately afterwards.

"What do you want, Dedede?" he weakly sighed. Pulling the blanket off of him, it was revealed that he was only wearing a pair of long pants, with his usual attire being absent for the most part. "I'm trying to rest up for tomorrow…"

"I need you, Peach, and Kirby to get on the Falcon Flyer with me," the penguin-like being replied. "We're going to get R.O.B. and Jigglypuff back."

"Wait a minute, why now? Do you remember what Falcon said to us a few hours ago? We're supposed to wait until tomorrow to rescue the two of them. If you try taking the Falcon Flyer without his permission-"

The king was quick to interrupt. "Forget what Falcon said. He doesn't realize that the attackers might already be planning to kill those two, especially if the people that we're dealing with are… You know who I'm talking about."

The trainer paused for a moment to absorb the comment. Maybe Dedede was just being irrational, attempting to take the advanced, jet-like vehicle without the good captain's permission. Not only would Falcon be infuriated, but none of the remaining Smashers in this group were experienced pilots to begin with. If the kidnappers, who were most likely dangerous foes, failed to knock them out of the sky, then their inexperience would just do the trick.

But…

R.O.B. and Jigglypuff were still important to the Smash Brothers, right? Besides that, there was the possibility of the kidnappers planning to murder the duo at this very hour. Master Hand would be gravely concerned, if not outright disturbed, if there were deaths in the organization. Maybe there was a strong reason behind Dedede's behavior after all, reckless as it initially seemed.

"Okay, fine…" Red finally sighed. "I'll get my stuff together and wake the others up."

"Good," Dedede grunted. "Once you're done, meet me at the front of the estate."

* * *

_A few minutes later…_

"Okay, so we're going out to rescue Jigglypuff and R.O.B.," a fully-clothed Red announced. "I know that it's very risky to take the Falcon Flyer without asking for Falcon's permission, but given what Dedede just told me, I guess we have very little choice. You guys have your stuff together? Once we leave this place, we're not heading back until our rescue is successful."

"Poyo," Kirby chirped, nodding his head in the affirmative. "Poyo-poyo."

"I have everything with me," Peach also replied. Her hair, unlike the previous two days, was now in the form of an elegant ponytail. "So, where are we heading to first?"

"We're gonna head to the abandoned factory from before," Dedede answered with a grim tone of voice. "I have a feeling that the Lords are responsible for the kidnapping, though I can't claim to be a direct eyewitness to their actions. We ought to pay them a simple ol' visit."

"But what if they aren't responsible?"

"Then… I guess we'll have to search all over the city, long and hard. It won't be easy, either; Port Town's got a whopping number of areas to visit."

"There's only one way to find out." As the princess stopped speaking, she and the other three Smashers began traveling a short distance to a garage located at the opposite site of the estate. During this stroll, there were what appeared to be stones decorating the trail that connected the front and back to each other. Some were dark, almost completely black with the night's shadow in consideration, while others were about as bright as the house they were in close proximity to. Additionally, there was what appeared to be a massive track over the wall surrounding the estate; the Smashers assumed that it was only present for practice as the bounty hunter's reputation of reclusiveness would rule out all chances of him allowing others to utilize it. Upon reaching the other side, the Smashers stood face-to-face with a large door composed out of solid steel, which marked the entrance to the garage. Despite its large size, it appeared that it could easily be opened with the combined strength of the foursome. However…

"Well, what do we have here?" Red mumbled. Right next to the door was an electronic lock with a digital interface. The interface itself was decorated with a series of numbers, ranging from zero to nine, which glowed with a soft, greenish aura. Almost immediately, a problem presented itself to the heroes. No one had any idea as to identifying the correct code for unlocking the door.

"Looks like we can't take the Falcon Flyer," the princess sighed. "Only Falcon knows the code to this door as well as to the one in the living room, and it's not like he's going to lend the vehicle to us at this time of the day. We'll definitely need to wait until tomorrow."

"No," Dedede rebutted. "No electronic lock is gonna stop me from rescuing those two." Approaching the door with a slow, deliberate pace, he raised his hammer before harshly pressing it against the lock.

_CRACK!_

Sparks zipped out from underneath the area of impact, which was followed up by a small clicking noise emerging from the doorway. With the display in pieces, the greedy king then proceeded to tap into his raw strength to lift up the door to the inside; the door itself was very heavy, and it caused his muscles to unleash a ridiculous amount of lactic acid in order to set his whole body on fire. Not since his most intense Smash battle with Snake did he feel this degree of fatigue. Eventually, Red had to summon his most powerful Pokémon in his party, Charizard, to assist with the heavy lifting. The dragon-like Flame Pokémon grappled the side of the door opposite to Dedede's and thrusted the whole thing into the ceiling within seconds.

"Poyo," Kirby mumbled as he and the others stepped into the garage. As the lights were switched on by a sensor mechanism, two vehicles were present in front of all staring eyes, however tired they were. The first was the Blue Falcon, the vehicle registered for F-Zero competitions by Captain Falcon. No longer stuck in high speeds, its bluish aura was now able to glisten in the light of the garage, which added a sort of mechanical beauty that few could ever witness. Since the G-diffusers were not active, the vehicle was flat on the ground, unable to travel a single centimeter. The second was the thing that had been sought for by the Smashers during the past couple of minutes: a slate-colored vehicle with its golden anterior shaped into a falcon's head.

"Let's get inside," Red muttered. Manually opening up the ramp via an emergency handle, the quintet ventured into the bridge, that same area where the majority of its members were resting on the first day's very morning. This time, there was hardly any light aside from the garage's whitish bulbs, while all the computers inside were completely shut down and devoid of any activity. Perhaps one could say that it was literally dead, if it was ever a living being.

"Where's the button for the startup sequence…?" Dedede mumbled, unsure of the correct switch's location. Owing to the dim lighting within the interior, his eyes began straining themselves to discern one thing from another. "I could've sworn that it was around this part of the panel."

"Charizard, can you light this area up?" Red asked of his fiery companion. With no hesitation, Charizard let out an affirmative grunt before intensifying the flame at the end of its tail. The room was painted with a faint shade of orange as the heat began to settle into the room, much to the comfort of the chilled Smashers, and that particular glow was just enough for the king to finally locate the button responsible for engaging the ignition. With one single press of a button, followed by a few seconds of delay…

_Whoooo…_

"It's working," Red commented. "Y'know, maybe Falcon should invest in a security mechanism for this thing, just in case a foe tries to steal it."

"Now, I just need to lift up this thing…" the king mumbled. After tapping the G-diffuser button, he struggled to move the vehicle with the steering stick, although this did not seem to do anything. For that moment, the Falcon Flyer was an immovable giant floating in the air, unable to be commanded by those inside. Dedede's lack of familiarity with the controls certainly was the primary cause for this. Such was the case until the king pulled a nearby lever backwards, but when he did so…

_THUD!_

"Careful!" Red barked. As soon as the Falcon Flyer had struck the wall behind it, the young Pokémon Trainer stumbled a short distance before falling down. "You could've smashed the thing!"

"Well, sorry!" Dedede retorted. "I'm not too familiar with flying this thing!" Slowly pushing the lever forward, the Falcon Flyer began to crawl out of the garage. Once it was out into the frozen world, the king increased its acceleration gradually before entering top speed; he also pulled the steering stick backwards to gain an increase in altitude. It was here that he realized the way the vehicle's behavior would change depending on speed; when slowed down or still, its functionality was more reminiscent to a hovercraft, but when pushed closer to the absolute top speed, it was more like a fighter jet. He would have to store this important detail into his memory, for if he were ever to forget it even once…

Back at the estate, Falcon began to stir himself awake after hearing a faint thud from his garage. His body was, due to drowsiness, a bit shaky and even slow, but this was not enough to outright chain him to his bed. Removing the blanket from his half-clothed form, he stumbled out of his room and into the hallway leading out into the main area, which was then illuminated by the flick of a switch. The colors were once again vibrant and majestic instead of subdued and dark, bringing back the beauty from before, although this was the least of the good captain's concerns because of a darker, more fearful thought lingering within his mind…

"I hope they aren't stealing the Falcon Flyer," he sighed, even when his mind clearly stated to him that such an event was already happening. Slowly guiding himself down the stairs, he made his way into the garage, only to be chilled by what was now missing…

"Damn it," he growled. As he spoke, he quickly retreated back to his bedroom. His heart raced dramatically as he feared what was likely about to happen to his fellow Smashers. "I don't know how they were able to get past the locks, but they're going to get themselves killed if I don't use the helmet right now…"

His feet finally stepping into the bedroom, Falcon swiftly pulled his widely recognized helmet from its resting spot and immediately activated a signal capable of overriding manual control. The following words then flashed across the screen:

_CONNECTING TO FALCON FLYER MODEL 1.1…_

"I hope they aren't too far from here," the captain puffed in a voice that was half-hopeful, half-worried. Retracing his steps back to the garage, he attempted to figure just who exactly was responsible for spearheading a rescue mission without his consent. Was it King Dedede? The bulky penguin seemed to be the most plausible candidate because he was with R.O.B. and Jigglypuff at the time that they were captured. Maybe he had felt some degree of guilt in him, which was odd due to his usual personality. But then again, maybe disastrous situations could make even a miser like him more altruistic, even if there was a bit of irrationality involved… That alone was one of the many things about thinking souls that would sometimes fascinate Falcon.

What about Red? He appeared to be legitimately concerned about the kidnapped duo, especially when he asked whether or not they were still being held at Sand Ocean. However, he was not the type of person to commit crazier acts, like stealing a high-tech vehicle. It was highly unlikely that he was the one who decided to drag the others with him, but it was not outright impossible…

Kirby? No; he did not have the mindset needed to perform a more… reckless act. Peach did not fall under the category either, mainly due to her royal duties demanding a more strict form of rationale from her.

But then, who could…

_ERROR. CONNECTION INTERRUPTED; OVERRIDE FAILED. _

"Just as I thought," the captain sighed in defeat, lowering his helmet, "They must have figured out that I was attempting to take the Falcon Flyer back and disabled the link to this helmet." As he stepped into the icy exterior of his house, he overheard some… sparking?

_Pik... Pik…_

"…?" the captain vocalized in confusion. As he twirled around to face the doorway, he noticed intermittent flashes of electricity emerging from one side. Under closer scrutiny, the sparks were revealed to be the type that would appear when an electronic device was busted.

And, lo and behold, there was a smashed display that originally kept the garage's door locked.

* * *

_At Jigglypuff and R.O.B.'s location…_

"Do not feed me any more lies," the larger figure, Magnus, snarled. At this point in the night, he had already paralyzed the robot with a burst of electricity that froze the latter's motors, while his servant had the Balloon Pokémon partially frozen into a block of ice. "Our stealth squadrons have already seen you with the wretched man known as Captain Falcon, both at Sand Ocean and at Port Town. Now-"

"Puff?" the puffball asked, interpreting the last part as confusing. Were there actually spies at both stadiums at the time of yesterday? "Jigglypuff?"

"Do not interrupt me, fool," the bulky man growled. "But… to answer your question, we did have spies stationed at both stadiums to make sure that no living being spoiled the surprise in case I was suspected of anything. Everything was fine until Sand Ocean, when you and your penguin friend decided to sniff us out. Now that we have taken care of all problems, I will ask this: will you assist us in collecting the staff piece for the Svärtad Orm, or would you rather suffer the fires of our wrath?"

R.O.B., despite having limited higher thinking, immediately realized that Magnus's offer was morally wrong. As tempting as it was, it would only cause him and the Balloon Pokémon to contribute to the suffering of innocent souls as well as the total annihilation of all known realms in existence. Such an action was not acceptable, not by the Smashers or by anyone with a clear conscience. He would have to stand firm, no matter how deadly the consequences were.

"I'm sorry," he beeped. "I will not join your ranks. As a Smasher, I have a duty to protect innocent people and ward off evildoers like you."

"Puff!" Jigglypuff chirped with confidence.

"Very well," Magnus hissed. With dark magic, he began to conjure a strange weapon in his hands. The low lighting made it difficult for both captives to discern its exact properties, but it seemed to be fairly long and was decorated with a spike at one end. But before either one of them could do any further analysis…

_CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!_

"Warning!" R.O.B. electronically wailed. Each blow caused his computerized vision to enter a period of static, with intense, ear-shattering noise as an unpleasant addition. "Intense damage to cranial area detected! Memory loss imminent!"

"Jigglypuff…" the Pokémon gasped. Its air-filled body attempted to shatter the ice keeping it glued to the floor. "Jigglypuff! Jigglypuff! Jigglypuff!"

"_Shut that thing up, will you?_" Magnus ordered. With full obedience, his subordinate proceeded to freeze the rest of the puffball's body, effectively preventing any sort of escape. The room was allowed to echo for a few seconds before the husky captain continued to batter the robot with his weapon. R.O.B. fought back with laser beams from his eyes, but this would all be in vain when the weapon slammed right into his face and destroyed one of his eyes.

"I can do this all day," he snarled. "If you refuse to accept our offer, I will make your death as slow and as painful as humanly possible. Do you wish to change your mind now?"

The robot slowly cocked his head upwards. Deep dents were now on his chassis, and sparks zipped across at a ferocious rate. "No… I-I-I will not c-c-comply…"

"Hahahahaha! I knew you would say that. Now, let's continue with the pain, shall we?"

_CRACK! CRACK!_

* * *

The Falcon Flyer was now away from the lights of the night-tinged Port Town. The subdued properties of the farthest outskirts started to assume dominance, and with the darkness of the night looming overhead, they appeared to be even more eerie than last time, almost haunting to some. A layer of snow added a shade of white over most of the earth, but it failed to improve the poor visibility within the area. If anything, it only made the landscape harder to navigate because of its ability to make certain landmarks unrecognizable. This was not a problem for the Falcon Flyer, however, for its ability to remain airborne allowed it to overcome all obstacles and find a safe landing place… even if the pilot was a bit shaky with the controls.

"Woah, steady now…" Dedede mumbled. His right hand pulled back on the lever, but it did so at too fast a rate to safely allow the vehicle to be halted. A large jerk threw all occupants forward, with Red and Peach completely falling over as a result. "Steady…"

"You really aren't familiar with flying this thing, are you?" the royal princess groaned.

"No, I guess not." Landing the Falcon Flyer at the factory's parking lot, the king switched the ignition off before letting down a ramp that allowed access to the outside world. Bitter chills contacted skin as they were once again exposed to the winter spirit and her effects on the landscape; in particular, Kirby was shivering greatly because, unlike the others, he had no clothing to keep himself warm. Charizard, on the other hand, was hardly affected by the sub-zero temperatures, as its tail's flame was able to keep it warm, maybe to the point of melting the nearby snow.

"Alright then," Red grunted. "Let's get in there and show the kidnappers who's boss."

"Poyo," Kirby agreed. As he and the others strolled into the snow-coated hideout, the cold winds became suppressed to some degree, although the environment did not become much more comfortable in comparison to well-shielded areas, such as Falcon's residence. The blackness from before was even more apparent as this time of the day-night cycle, and with R.O.B.'s absence from the group, proper navigation was now close to impossible. Even Charizard's flame could not reach the luminosity required to improve vision because of the factory's sheer size.

"Stay on your best guard, buddy," Red quipped to his longtime companion. The orange-skinned dragon only nodded in response before intensifying its flame slightly, just enough to create a balance between clearing the darkness and remaining hidden from the dark forces that resided in this forsaken place. Dedede kept his hammer raised for any signs of danger, anticipating an incoming battle. Kirby did the same thing with his own version of the renowned weapon. Peach and Red remained close to the others, being careful not to fall behind.

"Let's check the rest of the first floor," Red ordered. "Maybe we can find Jigglypuff and R.O.B. down here."

"Good thinking," Dedede commented. "I'm not really a big fan of bloody carnage, truth be told." The Smashers then continued into the section of the first floor not covered by the previous visit. There were now stacks of boxes for every couple of meters, some of them even reaching to about half of the factory's total height. Rusted shelves loomed overhead, and the vast majority of them harbored nothing but total emptiness; the proprietors of years past were likely too lazy to store the boxes onto the shelves… or perhaps they lacked the necessary equipment. Regardless, the place still appeared to be a total mess. After passing row after row of disused equipment, the Smashers noticed a door at the very corner of the floor.

"Let's see what's behind that door," Peach whispered. As the door was gently pushed open, the rear portion of the factory was brought into clear view, albeit barely due to the lack of functional lights. There were three massive doors that presumably led to the loading docks outside of the structure, with conveyor belts right next to each one. These small pathways were connected to a larger variation that appeared to lead somewhere else into the factory, though where the exact destination was specifically remained out of clear sight. Unlike the front, there were no wires littering the floor, and the windows were so dirty to the point of completely blocking all view of the outside world.

"Rrgh…" Charizard grunted, taking note of the decaying scenery. From the look on its face, one could say that it was a bit concerned, maybe even a bit disturbed.

"Yeah," Red replied. His hat was readjusted to provide more comfort. "Just looking at this place gives me the chills. I'm hope we can find Jigglypuff and R.O.B. within the next couple of minutes, 'cause I feel that this place is gonna give me nightmares if I stay here for any longer."

"You're not the only one who's thinking about that," Dedede added. As the Smashers led themselves to the very end of the area, a door at the very end awaited all of them. For some reason, this door seemed to possess an ominous vibe, more so than all the other entryways. Maybe something disturbing or dangerous was just on the other side, waiting to traumatize or even mutilate the heroes of the journey. A faint voice could be heard on the other side, though there was no way to decipher what was being spoken because the assumed speaker was communicating in a foreign language.

"Get ready to fight if we have to," Red ordered. The duo from Dream Land brought out hammers to smash a few foes, and Peach prepared her frying pan for battle. Charizard was ready to incinerate some foes with its fiery breath. Red grasped the handle tightly, but as he did so, a chill suddenly shot across his body. If the unseen hostile, no, _hostiles_ were ready to ambush them, and if they had gotten stronger from before, then there was no telling how much damage could be inflicted, especially considering the good group's reduced size. Quickly swinging the door open, the young man and his group encountered…

"Jigglypuff and R.O.B.?" Dedede gasped. "But where did the unknown guy go?"

"I don't know," Red answered. In front of him and the others were a frozen Jigglypuff and a damaged R.O.B. The Balloon Pokémon's still expression was that of fear, maybe even pain. The former Ancient Minister, now on reserve power and with many of his functions offline, was horribly smashed at multiple areas of his body. "The Lords are probably just playing tricks on our minds."

"Charizard, can you please melt the ice?" Peach requested. The Flame Pokémon unleashed a small fireball as a sign of compliance to the princess's order. In mere seconds, the ice was reduced to a gentle sensation of wetness to the puffball, shielding it from the harsh, skin-freezing pain from before. With its nerves partly dulled by the cold, it struggled to maintain its footing for a couple of seconds; some of the others compared this event to an infant taking its first steps. Meanwhile, Dedede began carrying the injured R.O.B., since the robot's disabled motors left him unable to move on his own. With the two captives rescued, the other Smashers immediately exited the room and, through the same doorway that they initially passed through, the entire factory, that one place of nightmares within an isolated part of Port Town's metropolitan area. With everything accomplished, the trip back to the Falcon Flyer would be free of all problems…

…or so the Smashers believed.

"_The intruders are still not aware of our presence,_" a cloaked Lord muttered. He was within close proximity of the Falcon Flyer, although he stayed out of earshot of the Smashers. "_If the robot had taken advantage of its advanced vision capabilities, we would have been spotted by now, but since it is severely beaten, we are safe for the time being._"

"_Is the trap ready?_" Magnus, whose voice was heard telepathically, asked. Once again, a sinister vibe manifested itself in the husky captain's voice, screaming a sort of twisted glee that could only originate from sadistic acts.

"_It is set up. Once the vehicle leaves the area, I will activate the timer on the explosive. The blast should be able to eliminate all those inside, either through its fire or the ship's subsequent crash._"

"_Excellent. There shall be no escape for those fools…_" Magnus's words continued to echo inside the servant's mind as the Falcon Flyer initiated its noisy takeoff.

* * *

_Inside the Falcon Flyer, about two minutes later…_

"Alright," Red muttered, "We should be better prepared for tomorrow. R.O.B.'s a major cause for concern, though; looks like Falcon will have to repair him again."

"Yep, it seems that way," Dedede concurred. "But, R.O.B. looks even worse than before. I don't think that Falcon alone will be able to repair him this time."

The trainer paused for a moment to consider the possibility mentioned by the king. "I think you're right. Besides, he appears to be on the bare minimum of power needed to function properly. If we wait too long, well… You know what will happen next."

"We'll need to…"

_Beep…_

"Poyo?" Kirby chirped. His ears apparently caught the sound of beeping from the back of the vehicle. As far as he was concerned, beeps were not a sign of the Falcon Flyer's normal operation. Something was not right, he believed. Determined to investigate, he slowly approached the source.

"Where are you going, Kirby?" Peach asked, curious about the puffball's new behavior. She began to follow him in a bid to catch wind of what he had just detected. Approaching the back, her ears also began to hear the strange beeping.

"Hey, there's a strange beeping sound in the back," she announced, concerned by the new abnormality. Her heels shuffled slightly as she began to crouch down for better hearing.

"A beeping sound?" Red mumbled flatly. "That's not normal, right? I mean, we've haven't heard it in all of our trips before this one, so I'm guessing that there must be something wrong with this vehicle."

"I guess so, but I just can't shake the feeling that we're dealing with something very dangerous."

_Beep… Beep… Beep…_

"Wait a minute, it's getting louder," Dedede grunted. "Something tells me that beeps indicating a malfunction don't do that over time…"

_Beep… Beep… Beep… BEEP…_

"Jigglypuff…" the Balloon Pokémon puffed. It proceeded to approach the pink duo, with Charizard following suit. The beeping continued to get louder.

_BEEP… BEEP… BEEP BEEP BEEP…_

"…!" the princess exclaimed, sudden shock striking her body like a bolt of lightning. In a swift motion, she tossed Kirby right into Jigglypuff. Then…

_BOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!_

The events in the aftermath of such a massive blast happened all too quickly for anyone to comprehend. Charizard was thrown backwards by a strong force, its body being hurled right into the chair where Dedede's husky form sat. The collision was painful, especially for the wings and head, which absorbed the full brunt of the impact. In the few seconds that followed, the Flame Pokémon was left dazed, with the world around it being a blurry canvas of numerous colors. Meanwhile, the two puffballs rolled across the ground, with each rotation partially flattening their bodies into an assortment of pink blobs. They would have slammed head-on into the bottom of the dashboard if Red had not caught them in time. The back of the Falcon Flyer was now a messy assortment of twisted metal and wiring, with some pieces sparking or inheriting a bright orange coloring due to the massive amounts of heat absorbed. With the jets no longer functioning at their optimal capacity, the personal vehicle of Port Town's famous bounty hunter was now losing altitude at a rapid rate. The winter's freezing air began to take over the warm environment from before. A loud siren could be heard over the wind's harsh blowing.

But all this was nothing compared to what happened to the crown princess of the Mushroom Kingdom. Having sustained the massive explosion's full power, her body was rendered a terrible mess; her legs and right arm were charred, bloody stumps that ended above where her knees and elbow used to be, and her dress was scorched in several areas. Large patches of skin were also burned, and they were burned quite badly. Two pieces of rubble had punctured the left side of her chest and her right eye, leaving a shade of red around the areas of impact.

"Oh, no…" Red gasped, his eyes catching the horrific sight of the princess. "PEACH!"

"Damn!" Dedede yelled. His arms struggled to pull back on the steering stick due to massive system damage. "I can't keep this thing afloat! We're gonna crash!"

"Find… somewhere… to land…" R.O.B. weakly blipped. Even through all the chaos, his voice was more subdued and devoid of any urgency. It was assumed that this was a secondary effect of the damage inflicted by the Lords, albeit for a very short period of time.

"But we're over the ocean; there's nowhere to land! Unless you want me to toss this thing into deep water…" The king's face tensed as his comment progressed.

"Set it… on a course… to Captain Falcon's residence…"

Unable to argue any further, Dedede was left with no choice but to follow through with the robot's plan. "Okay then, I better get as close to the islands as possible…"

"Charizard, try to keep the ship up!" Red ordered. The dragon launched itself outside the Falcon Flyer's damaged form and soared right to its underside to sustain it. It was nothing more, nothing less than a difficult task; as strong as the final evolution of Charmander was, the vehicle's ludicrous weight already placed a heavy amount of strain upon its body in seconds. The agony inherent was something that was never experienced in Smash battles, for even the most proficient of opponents within the Smash Brothers had never pushed the Pokémon to the absolute limit of its physical strength. Strong winds were also a problem, as they kept blowing its wings backwards.

It was nothing more than a living hell for Charizard, even if it only lasted for a short period of time. The one and only glimmer of hope was in the form of Falcon's residence, visible from approximately less than two kilometers away.

"Must… keep it… up…" Dedede groaned. The steering stick continued to creep forward despite some external assistance from Charizard. But worse still was the fact that the speeding vehicle was now in close proximity of Falcon's residence, and if the Smashers did not leap out of the vehicle in time…

"Red," he grunted. With no other solution available, he proceeded to abandon his position as pilot. "We have to ditch this thing!"

"Okay," the young man responded. Approaching the shattered rear of the ship, he raised his voice to ensure that his trusted companion heard him. "Charizard, come back and take me out of this ship!"

"Rargh!" the dragon responded. Abandoning its previous task, it retreated back into the ship to deliver its owner from a fiery death. When this action was witnessed, the two puffballs held hands and simultaneously puffed their way out of the doomed ship. Their floating bodies were helpful in defying gravity to some extent, shielding them from falls that would otherwise be completely fatal. Dedede proceeded to carry both R.O.B. and Peach with his wide arms.

"Okay, let's abandon ship!" he announced, but with barely any energy left in their bodies, it was unlikely that the wounded ones were able to fully understand his comment. With the help of his famed Super Dedede Jump, the husky king leaped into the cold air of Port Town, creeping ever closer to the clouded skies. After reaching the apex of such a magnificent move, he and his fellow Smashers began to descend into the ocean below…

_WHOOSH!_

…until they were rescued from a watery crisis by Charizard, who now had its teeth deep into the king's robes. Dedede was forced to lock his hands together in order to avoid slipping out of his fancy garment. Nearby, the Falcon Flyer collided into the largest island's F-Zero course, exploding with a piercing sound that would have caused nearby ears to bleed.

* * *

_A few minutes later…_

"_Why did you take the Falcon Flyer without my permission?!_" the bounty hunter yelled at Dedede. His middle-aged face was tinted a bright shade of red, for he himself was frustrated with his fellow Smasher's actions.

"Look," the king rebutted, "I had to do it. I assumed that if you waited until tomorrow, then Jigglypuff and R.O.B. would have been killed. And that's very strange, considering that you are usually quick to save innocent people. Also, you should know that the kidnappers were indeed the Orm's Lords, which makes my cause all the more justified."

"But that doesn't justify you smashing up the Falcon Flyer by launching it into one of my personal courses!"

The king felt a newfound anger flaring up from within. Now he was being blamed for something that was beyond his control, he believed. "WHAT?! It was an enemy bomb that disabled your precious vehicle! The bomb was most likely set up by the Lords to bring a nasty surprise to us while we were heading back to this place! You think that was my fault?!"

Falcon's redness continued to intensify. "Even if you weren't responsible for trashing my vehicle, your irrationality has caused Princess Peach to get seriously injured. Do you understand just how much Mario is going to be pissed when he hears of this?!"

"Okay, now you're just trying to blame me for everything. The same bomb that was planted on the ship was what left the princess badly injured. We had no idea that there was an explosive until after it went off! And yes, I do understand how much Peach means to Mario; don't think I'm oblivious to their general interactions with each other."

The captain proceeded to silence himself for a few seconds. He was too furious to properly think right now, so there was only the option of venting superheated steam from his mind. In fact, continuing a conversation at high levels of anger would only cause him to mutter irrational statements. Slowly breathing in and out, he forced the redness on his face to slowly fade in a manner reminiscent to a metal cooling down.

"Okay…" he sighed calmly. "I'm sorry that I got upset with you. Now that you've revealed to me all of the details, I know it's not entirely your fault. Still, don't take any of my vehicles without permission, understand?"

"Yes, I get it," the king muttered slowly. "Now, how are we supposed to get Peach to a hospital?"

"I'll have to contact Stewart for this one because the Falcon Flyer is busted. As for R.O.B., he'll have to stay here for the time being because there isn't a mechanic that is available right now. I'll fix him in the morning, before I head out to Fire Field for the Platinum Cup."

"Okay."

As the scene fell into silence, Falcon proceeded to establish contact with an old friend of his via helmet…

* * *

_Inside the Port Town Downtown Hospital…_

"How bad is it?" Red muttered. He and most of the Smashers, save for R.O.B. and Charizard, were gathered around the bed where Peach, unconscious and still suffering from her injuries, rested. The princess herself was dressed in a white garment worn by hospital patients and had a small respirator mask over her mouth. Bandages were draped over the wounded areas of her body, and her crown was missing, presumably lost during the explosion. There were machines and tubes right next to her bed, many of which were connected to her body through intravenous needles and a few other forms of physical contact. Meanwhile, the room was a sleek white color, a fairly common motif in many buildings of this time period, and small, square-shaped windows were located at the far wall. Visible was a grand view of Port Town's many buildings, at least those on the eastern side of the downtown district; although they were distant, colorful signs and high-speed vehicles continued to dominate the landscape for every single minute that faded out of existence. Fluorescent lights loomed overhead, with each one shining over a certain corner of the room.

"It's very bad," Doctor Stewart sighed. "With three of her limbs missing, she won't be able to do most activities without the help of prosthetic replacements. She can only see out of one eye and has third-degree burns over large parts of her body. Also, while I was running my analysis of her, I realized that she has a punctured lung due to impalement."

"She's not going to live, is she…?" Falcon questioned with uncertainty in his voice. Worry crept into his heart like a disease as he feared for her life. If her life was lost, then the Smash Brothers would lose a longtime fighter, one that was dedicated, energetic, and very adept in strategy. Worse yet, if Mario, the one person that the princess had deep feelings for, ever caught wind of this…

"No, not without some… help. Aside from Falcon, do any of you remember me mentioning my involvement in a certain medical project funded by the government?"

"I have," Red muttered. "In fact, only Dedede, Jigglypuff, and R.O.B. haven't heard your comment at all."

"Well, now that the circumstances have changed, I feel that I should reveal the details to all of you. The government has recruited me to work on an experimental project involving the creation of combat cyborgs for the military. These cyborgs are not the ones that you usually see around here, such as Mighty Gazelle, an F-Zero pilot. In fact, they are meant to provide a whole new level of firepower and versatility in situations too serious for ordinary soldiers to handle. We already have several subjects that have undergone this procedure, with all of them so far being associated with military organizations."

"Poyo?" Kirby asked. The puffball now sought to learn more about this secret project, especially since Peach was very likely to become a test subject of it.

"When we pick out test subjects, we usually select military personnel who have been seriously wounded during active duty, though there are also a few others who willingly undergo the procedure. So far, no civilians have been selected due to the project currently being reserved for the military, but there is recently some discussion about selecting a few civilians at random."

"Can you perform the surgery on Peach?" Dedede asked.

"Normally, bringing a civilian into a project like this would be forbidden, but since she is a part of the Super Smash Brothers, who are anything but civilians…" The doctor's voice then trailed off.

"Well?" The king scratched the back of his head, waiting for the answer.

"I'll get my team to perform the surgery on her, though the government will more than likely need some documentation of your group's existence, preferably before the operation is finished."

"Okay," Falcon grunted. "I'll ask Master Hand to provide some official documentation." As he proceeded to exit the room, he began to connect with a certain maiden back at the Smash Mansion. Seconds later…

"Lillian…?" he spoke again. "This is Captain Falcon. I need to tell you something important." Silence followed for a few seconds before the maiden responded.

"_What is it, Falcon?_" Lillian asked. Her voice seemed slightly shaky, as if she had been crying a few minutes before. Falcon did not care for this detail, however.

"Princess Peach has been seriously injured by the Lords. She's clinging to life at a hospital in Port Town. I'm not sure if she's going to live for the time being, but…"

"_Hmm… I can sense her vital signs reaching critical levels. How did she sustain serious injuries?_"

"The Lords apparently attached a bomb to the Falcon Flyer, which must have exploded when Peach was in close proximity. This is some serious news for us, as the Smashers are in danger of losing one dedicated fighter, but it's going to be especially devastating for Mario. If, no… _When _he hears of this, he's going to be way beyond upset. Do you know how much she means to him?"

The maiden let out a soft sigh. "_You mean to tell me that the two of them have strong feelings for each other?_"

Falcon's voice dropped slightly in pitch. "Yes; they absolutely love each other with a burning passion, even to the point of becoming irrational at times. It's amazing how two people can develop such a powerful bond with each other… Do you think that you can deliver the news to him?"

"_I will. By the way, what will you do about Peach?_"

"A friend of mine and his team will have to turn her into a combat cyborg, but somehow I can't guarantee that she'll survive. Also, I need you to ask Master Hand to provide an official copy of the Smash Brothers organization's charter. The government of Port Town will probably be asking for proof of our existence."

The maiden sighed once again before severing the telepathic link. With nothing else to do other than waiting, he strolled back into the room slowly to announce his improvised plan.

"Alright," he muttered, "For tomorrow, I will have you guys stay here at the hospital. Now that the Lords have a better idea of who we are, they'll try to hunt us down. Also, I need you to hand over a copy of our official charter to Stewart, since the government will likely be asking for proof of our group's existence."

"What about you?" Red asked.

"Stewart said he will lend me one of his spare vehicles to get myself to the rest of the Grand Prix."

"Okay. Let's head back, because I'm starting to get tired…"

With no other word, the group departed for Falcon's solitary residence…

* * *

_Two hours later, at an operating room within the hospital…_

"Are you ready for this?" Stewart asked. Replacing his usual attire was a surgical uniform that was a pale turquoise in color, with a surgeon's mask over a part of his face. Contrary to the comment, his eyes were actually locked onto Peach's damaged form. The princess was stripped of most of her clothing, now clothed only in her pink underwear. Life-supporting machines surrounded her and did all that they could to keep her alive.

"We're all ready to go," a member of his team commented over the room's intercom. The English-accented man was out of clear sight from Stewart as he was operating the robotic arms that loomed over the operating table like metallic tentacles. "But I hope that Falcon gets the official evidence soon."

"He will in due time, but for now, let's start the operation."

The arms proceeded to approach Peach, as did Stewart and another surgeon whose skin was darker than his fellow doctors…

* * *

_I just want to say that this adventure is really piquing my curiosity, big time. We don't know much about the Lords at all, and while it's obvious that they want to revive the Svärtad Orm to destroy worlds and generally wreak havoc, the primary motive behind such destructive behavior is beyond me. Were they discriminated against, and if so, by who? The country where Lillian resides? Or maybe they're the product of something darker...? I know I'm just getting ahead of myself, but I think the maiden is hiding things from us._

_Also, I really hope Peach lives through the operation. If it's successful, she'll become a super-powered cyborg with high destructive potential, which will really aid us in our mission._

_-Red_

* * *

**There you have it, folks: Peach's exact fate during the adventure. And no, Stewart wasn't looking at her in a perverted fashion. Now, the Platinum Cup will go on, but for how long? Magnus certainly isn't going to be playing fair forever…**

**A/N:**

**-According to the official **_**F-Zero**_** canon, the islands where Falcon resides at have a track on each one, designed to keep the good captain's racing skills sharp while staying out of the public eye. **

**-Although I've failed to mention this back in the first part of this theatre, Peach's ability to create streams of water with tears originates from **_**Super Princess Peach**_** on the DS, where she had the ability to tap into her emotions in order to take down hapless foes. **


	17. Captain Falcon's Theatre: Part 4

Captain Falcon's Theatre (pt. 4): A Terror Fully Revealed and the Rise of a Cyborg Princess

* * *

**The theatre's almost over, but things probably won't get any easier for Falcon and his group. The Lords are more than capable of upping the ante, but will they do so here? The Smashers better be prepared for that, lest they get torn to shreds…**

* * *

_The path of goodwill, while simplistic on the surface, is hard to follow…_

_It involves grueling tasks that test a person's sense of morality…_

_Pain and mental stress are inevitable, with no chance of preventing either from occurring…_

_Only the most dedicated will come through, for they do not consider surrender an option…_

_Those that are morally weak will succumb to wrong choices…_

_They will only seek selfish benefits that only backfire on them in the end…_

_From there, evil will corrupt their minds and ruin their own lives through temptations and destruction of interpersonal bonds…_

* * *

_At morning time, two hours before the race…_

"How are you holding up, R.O.B.?" Falcon asked. Closing a panel on the robot's body, he glanced at his fellow Smasher's repaired form for a few seconds. After approximately a half-hour of having damaged panels replaced and major components fixed, the former Ancient Minister seemed as clean as he was before the brutal torture, maybe even cleaner than when he first joined the Smashers.

"Overall status is green," R.O.B. beeped. "No major flaws detected."

"That's good to hear. Now, I'll need you to stay at the hospital with the others so that you can deliver an official copy of our charter to Stewart. He and his team of surgeons are turning Peach into an advanced cyborg with drastically increased combat abilities, but the government may ask for physical evidence of our group's existence. Listen for when Lillian contacts any of you guys."

The robot nodded his head in the affirmative. "And we shall have the task completed before the day is over."

"Let's go…"

* * *

_At Fire Field…_

"Welcome to the third race of the Platinum Cup, folks!" Campbell announced. "It's getting pretty hot here in Fire Field, where the lava can simply boil you to death! Let's hope that none of the drivers get launched off the tracks."

"And you are right, Derek," Kojima added. "But do you really want to know an interesting fact about this place? It wasn't always a dangerous environment to begin with; in fact, it was originally just a simple planet where miners could make a profit by unearthing precious ores deep underground. But the corporation that used to run this place ended up triggering a volcano by going too far down. That's why you can see all this lava down below."

At the starting area of the track, Captain Falcon remained motionless inside his vehicle, calmly waiting for the chaotic race to begin. Nervousness began to grasp his mind and heart tightly, more so than it did during the last two races, because of his increasing concern for the spectators inside the stadium. With Magnus still behind the good captain in points, it was becoming more and more unlikely that the Lords would _not_ be called upon to interfere in any method possible. The hidden incident involving Jigglypuff and R.O.B.'s capture only seemed to exacerbate the thought's severity, seeing as though the two Smashers were captured and, in the robot's case, almost killed. He now also realized that Magnus's elimination from the race would only have negligible consequences; it would keep his fellow racers safe for a short period of time, but it would not prevent a horrific massacre from occurring afterwards, even if the dark foe was to die. Perhaps the only way of ending the problem was to confront the dark cultists somewhere outside of the Grand Prix, where there would be support from his group of Smashers, especially the cybernetically augmented Peach.

Then, something else entered his mind. Going back to the incident involving the princess, he was suddenly worried that the mustachioed plumber in red would blame him for the problem and be unable, no, _unwilling_ to forgive him. If this was to be prevented, an apology would have to be released, even if the bounty hunter himself was not directly responsible for Peach's fate. Only one option would hope to grant him any success at chilling any heated confrontation…

"Lillian," he sighed as connected to the mysterious maiden's telepathic network. "I need to speak with you."

"_What do you wish to speak with me about?_" the woman replied.

"Hey, once Mario arrives at the Smash Mansion, tell him that I will apologize to him in person. I believe it's the only way that he'll forgive me."

The maiden paused briefly before continuing. "_Why do you seek fulfill your intended action? You're not to blame for Peach's fate._"

"I didn't directly cause her fate to unravel, but I ended up giving the brash Dedede an opportunity to steal my ship and potentially put the others in danger by venturing into a hidden trap. I just want to let Mario know that I care about her safety as much as he does. Furthermore, I will also apologize to Master Hand for unwittingly putting a fellow Smasher in severe danger. Have you gotten a hold of Mario yet?"

"_Unfortunately, I am unable to contact him for the time being. Something has sent him and the majority of his party into a comatose state. I can only hope that it is not the dreaded poison of the Lords, Igel. Be careful if you witness a Lord using this weapon to end your life._"

"But will you still try to contact him?" Falcon was frozen momentarily as his ears caught word of a new trick up the enemy's sleeves. If he was lucky, then Igel would not be encountered by his group, but this was highly unlikely.

"_I will keep trying until he wakes up._"

"Okay then. I'll see you later." Falcon locked his eyes onto the road as the link was cut. Once again, the beginning countdown was initiated before him.

"Three! Two! One! _GO!_"

_WHOOSH!_

"And we're off to a flaming hot start!" Kojima proclaimed. "With most of the track having no ledges, can the racers keep their wits and avoid getting an unpleasant dip into the lava?"

With the race in full motion, Falcon was quickly subjected to a downward plunge as soon as he was a short distance away from the starting line. Boiling lava dominated the view from his perspective, with the metallic track being the only thing that shattered the scene's uniform appearance. When he reached the altitude to where a fiery column could establish contact with any of the machines, Falcon realized that there were no rails for what seemed like the rest of the lap, at least until he reached the stadium. This was especially concerning to him because, unlike the shifting land of Sand Ocean, death would await if he was tossed into the lava either by another racer or some idiotic mistake, and it would be the type of end that, as opposed to crashing into Port Town's streets, slowly overloaded every single nerve with hellish pain.

"Looks like I better not get too reckless here," he sighed. As he made his first encounter with the track's loop, some of the other vehicles, including the Fire Stingray and the Unbound Serpent, began to close in on his location in a manner that resembled aggressive stalking. However, there was some infighting that shattered any unity in usurping the good captain's lead…

"Not this time, cocksucker," Samurai Goroh snarled. With a yell, he slammed against Magnus with such force that the Lord was nearly thrown into the endless pool of fire, especially with the current part of the track inheriting a wave-like property that only made death a greater possibility. A wide snarl was stretched across the bandit's face as he rushed in to finish his mysterious foe off, a common property for someone possessed by the spirit of anger. Magnus was not ready to accept defeat, however, and he retaliated with a spinning attack that sent Goroh soaring into another vehicle.

"If it is a fiery death you so badly desire, then I shall grant your wish," the dark captain hissed, spit flying out of his mouth like liquid pebbles. The Unbound Serpent proceeded to execute another attack, but both sides were obscured from each other by the Red Gazelle, a lengthy machine owned by Mighty Gazelle. With the cyborg racer preventing both sides from attacking, and with a large jump fast approaching, Magnus was forced to temporarily abandon his assault in order to focus on his main threat: Captain Falcon.

_WHOOSH…!_

Shades of red, orange, and yellow rushed by as all racers were thrown into the air for long seconds. The landing marked a change in the course's construction; instead of the usual road witnessed on every course, there was now a cylinder-like pathway that allowed machines to travel on all sides. It would initially seem that this new area was safer than the rest of the course, but Magnus was about to prove the belief wrong…

"We shall see if you can remain attached to this cylinder for long," Magnus sighed deeply. As he was closing in on Falcon's position, he began bombarding the nearby Blood Hawk, registered to the good captain's sinister clone, with constant slamming to send it off-course. Blood Falcon, realizing that he was danger of being thrown into the superheated magma, attempted to fight back, but the dark Lord's vehicle, with its greater size and weight, easily shrugged off the futile attempts. Eventually, the Unbound Serpent was able to detach its victim's vehicle from the track when the latter started spiraling too quickly around the cylinder. Cameras flocked around this event like hungry vultures to consume the somewhat chilling image of Blood Falcon being figuratively thrown into the depths of Hell; back at the stadium, more than half of the audience unleashed a loud yell as the death unraveled.

"And the sinister duplicate of Captain Falcon, Blood, is out of the race!" Kojima announced. "He certainly won't be coming back from that one!"

"That's right," Campbell added. "Hedin still isn't letting up, but will his efforts be enough to usurp the clone's heroic counterpart of the lead? In the world of F-Zero, anything can happen, so we can only wait and see. The Blue Falcon is currently in the lead, but the Unbound Serpent and Fire Stingray are closing in, and fast!"

* * *

_At the hospital…_

"How are we on the surgery?" Stewart asked a member of his team. The doctor was situated inside a blue, box-like room that jutted out into the operating area. In front of him was a one-way window that allowed observation of the patient, currently Princess Peach, while preventing those outside from noticing him in return.

"We are currently working on the torso area," the lesser surgeon replied. The only two things that distinguished him from Stewart were his shorter stature and his black, spiky hair. "The limbs have already been replaced by combat-grade prostheses, and we have gotten the cybernetic eye implanted as well."

"What about the blood?"

"Her old blood is being circulated out of her body to be replaced by a synthetic variant equipped with nanomachines; we're about halfway done with that process. We've also taken the liberty of injecting a temporary set into her skeleton to replace the natural components with a near-indestructible metal."

Stewart gently popped one of his knuckles before continuing. "Good to hear that we're making progress. Now, the Smashers, particularly Red and Dedede, were able to hand me a copy of their organization's charter; I'll send it to the government as soon as possible. Just make sure that nothing goes wrong when I leave, understand?"

"As you wish, sir." When Stewart exited the room, the surgeon directed his glare at the partly reconstructed princess. Even in this stage of the surgery, machinery and flesh were already beginning establish a symbiotic relationship with each other, the former allowing Peach to survive even after sustaining critical injuries and the latter providing a place for the mechanical components to reside. The final results would be very impressive in the end, he believed.

Just like all the subjects before the princess…

* * *

With his vehicle on an upward spiral back to the stadium, Falcon could feel a slight amount of uneasiness inside him. His previous thoughts regarding Magnus's possible actions in response to losing were returning to weaken his focus, which was potentially fatal in a dangerous environment like Fire Field. Even his entry into the recharging area did not soothe him in the slightest, for there was always the danger of being shoved right off the track due to a severe lack of railing.

But… was this the time to be distracted? No, it was not. Even in the face of impending doom, there was no choice but to remain strong, just to avoid cracking under pressure. This especially began to ring true when the Blue Falcon entered the second lap of the race…

_CRACK!_

…and when Magnus starting attacking him yet again.

"Now you're asking for it," the bounty hunter puffed. Decreasing his speed by a small amount, he switched to a more offensive approach by slamming the Unbound Serpent against the downward slope's railing. The task was easier said than done, for the dark vehicle's greater size once again worked in favor of its equally dark pilot. But, unlike Blood Falcon, the savior from Port Town played smart by avoiding retaliatory strikes with the right mix of boosting and drifting. As both sides accelerated through the loop and the wavy road, the dark Lord's aggressive personality overloaded his mind with sheer anger, forcing to attack in a way that seemed far too reckless for his own good; this played right into Falcon's hands, allowing him to counterattack without fear. As this event unraveled, however, an old rival was slowly creeping up from behind…

"Ugh… You too, Falcon?" Goroh moaned. "You never make things easy for me, all because of your massive ego." Zipping into a gap created by the two captains, the bandit boss immediately unleashed his fury.

_WHACK! WH-CRACK! THUD!_

"I don't have time for you, Goroh," Falcon harshly grunted. He engaged his boosters to escape, only to be met with a view of his foes executing the same action. "Stay out of my way."

"Arrogant bastard!" Magnus roared. As the leading trio leaped onto the cylinder, the dark Lord changed his current priority to finishing Goroh off for good. "_Just die already!_"

_WHAM! WHOOSH-WHOOSH...!_

"I hope you like dips into the lava, 'cause this is gonna get hot!" Goroh snorted. His vehicle was pushed to the absolute limit as it repeatedly performed a spinning motion that continuously battered the Unbound Serpent's heavy frame. With each attempt, Magnus was forced further sideways against his will, but that was not to say that he was unable to fight back; to the dark warrior's merit, his vehicle still had the edge in size and weight, however small it was when pitted against the Fire Stingray. This allowed him to even the odds when necessary. Falcon took notice of this scuffle and proceeded to soar ahead before it was too late.

"I'd hate to get stuck between those two," he sighed, temporarily ignoring the spiraling feeling that struck him on the way back to the stadium. With a few more pushes from the boosters, he was now isolated from the other racers, much like a wolf straying away from the rest of the pack.

"The distance between Falcon and the others is growing almost exponentially," Campbell commented. "He's dead set on claiming first place, but will there be an upset to stop him?"

"Who knows, Derek?" Kojima answered. "With both Hedin and Goroh battling it out, it seems unlikely that they'll redirect their attention to the Blue Falcon, but once again, anything can happen!"

"The rest of the competitors are passing through the finish line right now…" With loud whooshing, the machines passed through the stadium again to begin perhaps the most tension-inducing part of the race: the final lap. Boosters were now being utilized more frequently than before, the desire to win increased to ridiculous levels, and the violence aspect of the competition was more clear, especially with Magnus and Goroh lashing out at each other like feral animals. Also worth noting was the coincidental increase in volcanic activity; seconds prior to Falcon entering his final lap, the molten pillars were provoked by the planet's unstable forces to increase in both frequency and height, almost ensuring that at least one of the racers would get incinerated. Of course, this was not noticed until after the group passed through the stadium for the second time.

"Now this… is what I'd call fiery," Falcon remarked. Descending down the ramp for the final time in the race, he switched up his strategy again, this time relying on his technical skills to avoid drenching his vehicle in boiling lava. Now that the others were far behind, there was almost no need to worry about them. At least not until later.

Further away, Magnus and Goroh were still in a tense struggle for power. The Fire Stingray was in a beaten state because of the continuous attacks, and it did not help that Magnus was able to keep him off the energy strips during the previous lap. It was reasonable to believe that the bandit would lose the race if he was harassed any further… or if he was thrown into the lava like Blood Falcon before him. However, the brash pilot was not one to accept defeat so lightly, as he was about to demonstrate in a few seconds.

"Take this!" he snarled. The Fire Stingray approached the Unbound Serpent, ready to kill…

_CRACK!_

"I grow tired of this game…" Magnus sighed heavily. As he prepared to strike again, he realized that there was a lava column sending a rain of hellfire onto the track. Some of the racers were already being impacted by this hazardous event, taking damage in the process. This image alone was enough to spark an idea within the dark captain's mind.

"Burn in the flames, Goroh!" he growled. Boosting his vehicle to remain close, he violently shoved Goroh right into the path of the molten rain. Needless to say, the Fire Stingray was, ironically enough in regards to its given name, partially roasted; patches of its frame were overheated to reveal the mechanical components underneath, and its window was now contaminated enough to cause problems with vision.

"What the hell, man?!" the bandit yelped. "I seriously have to get this crap off my vehicle?!" He was forced to perform an emergency spin on the loop to shake off the blazing fluid, but this was what left him open to attack.

_CRACK!_

The Fire Stingray now teetered on the very edge, coming so close to being thrown into the molten planet's surface. For perhaps the first time in years, Goroh felt nervous; while he was no stranger to deadly situations, the fact that he was about to suffer a slow, agonizing death was causing his earlier confidence to slowly crack under pressure. His heart felt like it was racing out of control, and his arms began to tremble a bit. Maybe this time, he would perish…

…unless he could gather the strength for one last push.

"No…" he muttered. "I ain't dying here. I won't let some obscure punk beat me in this race…" With the jump approaching one last time, he jerked his steering to the right…

_CRACK!_

"I won't lose to you, Hedin!" the bandit continued. Even as the dark captain proceeded to resist, the Fire Stingray now had the upper hand in the struggle, especially when its more flexible mobility allowed it to handle the track more easily. As the machines entered the area where the cylinder and upward spiral intersected, the Unbound Serpent was forced into the very same position that its victim managed to escape from.

"It's time to take a hot bath," Goroh concluded. With only one chance left before the strips were reached, he unleashed a powerful attack that finally knocked the Lord right off the track.

_CRACK!_

Time appeared to slow down for the criminal leader as he watched Magnus seemingly soar backwards into the fiery planet's surface. The Unbound Serpent appeared to shrink with distance until it was only a tiny speck against a canvas of fiery colors. Upon hitting the molten surface, the vehicle appeared to explode with a degree of intensity that would have introduced more light to the area, existing luminosity notwithstanding. Goroh let out a small smirk as he relished in his victory over the mysterious Lord and would have kept it for a longer period of time, had he not realized that another foe was the winner of this race.

"Captain Falcon now has three first-place wins for the Platinum Cup!" the boss could barely hear Campbell announce. Passing through the finish line, he noticed an image of the famous bounty hunter flashing on the stadium's front screen.

"Someday," Goroh sighed, "I'll finally dominate you in a race. Mark my words."

* * *

_An hour after the race…_

"Can't believe Goroh knocked Magnus out of the race," Falcon muttered as he watched a replay montage on a smaller monitor within Stewart's secondary vehicle. The bounty hunter had already placed the Blue Falcon inside with the help of a tractor beam and was now approaching the snow-filled Port Town to rest up for the next race. Speaking of which, maybe now was a good time to check on his teammates, especially since one of them was undergoing cybernetic reconstruction. He linked up his helmet to contact Stewart, who was overseeing the surgery, then waited for a few seconds. It was not long until he received a response.

"Hello, this is Doctor Stewart," the medic began. "What do you need?"

"This is Falcon," the bounty hunter answered. "How is Peach doing?"

"She is still in surgery, but we'll be done with her in the next few hours. We haven't encountered any problems so far, so I expect the rest of the operation to go smoothly. And as for the others, they were able to hand me their charter about an hour after they were dropped off. How's everything on your end?"

The bounty hunter cleared his throat before continuing. "I'm done with the third race. So far, no one else has been able to usurp my position as leader. Also, while I was leaving Fire Field, I realized that Samurai Goroh has eliminated Magnus Hedin, the Lord who registered for the race, by throwing his vehicle into burning lava. Magnus himself shouldn't be a problem from this point on, since his regenerative powers can't stand up to burns."

"Regenerative powers?"

"According to Lillian, the Lords are using a spell called Återuppliva, which supposedly gives them superior healing abilities and increased strength. However, this magic will fail if the user is burned or dismembered. It's a good thing that some of my partners have access to at least one attack from either category or we would've been easily stopped by the Lords."

"That's… interesting to know. Anyway, I'll contact you if I have more information at hand. Good luck on the rest of the Platinum Cup, Falcon."

"Thanks." As the captain closed the communications channel, he realized that he was now within approaching distance of his solitary home. Bringing his temporary vehicle to the back of his estate, he proceeded to land without a hitch. The Blue Falcon was dropped into the courtyard and then sent into the garage for safekeeping. As he retreated back into the comfort of his house, he turned around momentarily to examine Stewart's secondary vehicle; overall, it closely resembled what the doctor would use to travel around Port Town, but it was much larger and had less coloring on the surface. There was also a large storage area further to the back.

"Industry-level vehicles," Falcon sighed. "They're always useful for getting the hard work done." The interior's warm air liberated him from the snowy climate's harsh chill as he entered the living room to relax for the time being. After grabbing an apple from the kitchen's fruit bowl, he switched his television set on to find something interesting to view. For what might seem like a minute, the search was weighed down by uninteresting content, such as cartoons, stale comedy shows, movies that were originally released for theatres, and vice versa. Occasionally, there was an interesting channel that popped up, but the bounty hunter still moved forward in case there was more good content down the road.

"I really wish the entertainment industry could show better stuff nowadays," the pilot sighed. He still searched hard but was suddenly forced to stop when he encountered a recent news report.

"This is just in," the reporter, a brown-haired man supposedly in his thirties, spoke. He was dressed in a gray suit with a red tie, the former contrasting with the bright background behind him. "Just a few minutes ago, there was an attack on the F-Zero stadium located on the hostile planet of Fire Field. The attackers and their motives have yet to be identified, but the damage that they've left in their wake was severe to cause most of the stadium to collapse into the lava below. Most of the people inside were reported by galactic authorities to have been killed during the assault. One of the survivors, longtime F-Zero announcer Derek Campbell, has claimed that he knows the exact details about the incident."

"What…?" Falcon muttered. His body was frozen as he absorbed the information presented by the news channel. Now the Lords were definitely going to extreme measures, he believed, since Magnus was officially eliminated from the race and even roasted alive by lava. As he continued to watch, a live recording of the brown-haired Campbell zipped onto the right side of the screen. The hospitalized announcer was covered in bandages because of the cuts he had sustained during the attack, and his current clothing was a set of standardized patient attire.

"What happened at the stadium, Derek?" the reporter asked.

"The attack happened a few minutes after the F-Zero machines pulled out of the track," Campbell muttered. In contrast to the strong voice he was renowned for, his words were now tired and slightly wobbly. "As Masahiro Kojima and I were preparing to leave, the main power to the stadium was shut off. The maintenance workers were able to get the backup generator online, but we then a whispering voice loud enough to be heard by everyone."

"Tell me what that voice said."

Campbell shuffled around in his bed for a second or two. "The speaker was asking for the trophy because he believed that it contained a part to some magical staff that we had no idea about. When some of us stated that we could only hand the trophy over to the Platinum Cup's winner, he called us liars and infidels before stating that we would not stop his group's "savior" from being revived. Kojima and I insisted that we were being truthful, but that only enraged the speaker even further. Then, a group of dark figures swarmed into the stadium to attack us."

The reporter's widened by a noticeable degree. The thought of the mysterious figures raiding areas like Fire Field's stadium disturbed him. If they were given the chance, they could just as easily invade Port Town, perhaps even the very news station he was stuck in.

"And you were cut up by those figures, am I correct?" he muttered, trying to keep his composure.

"Yes," Campbell answered. "One of them, a female, entered the announcer's booth and proceeded to stab Kojima in the head with an icicle formed by magic. She then shattered that same projectile to throw smaller pieces into my body. Upon finding out that I was still standing, she caused a part of the booth to collapse on me by firing a strange beam of dark energy; the paramedics said I was lucky enough to survive that."

The rest of the conversation fell on deaf ears. With the Lords now resorting to violence, the fate of the Platinum Cup's later races fell into uncertainty. Whether or not they would actually take place was beyond Falcon's knowledge, especially with the safety of common citizens being a large priority to the authorities, but there was one thing that transcended all shadows of doubt; if the attacks continued to increase in both frequency and severity, then the Grand Prix would not continue. The Lords had to eventually be stopped before it was too late.

"I better head back to the hospital sometime before the next race starts," the bounty hunter whispered.

* * *

_Five hours past noon…_

"I only have an hour before the race in Mute City begins." Falcon strolled into his garage to bring the Blue Falcon into the borrowed ship before venturing out to the hospital. The cold air seemed to sting his skin as he finished all preparations, but this feeling of discomfort did not last long because of his very short exposure. As the carrier exited the chain of islands, the captain noticed a strange, orange-colored glow suddenly emerging from one of Port Town's many skyscrapers. There was also a distant cracking sound, but the vehicle's isolated interior prevented him from hearing it.

"What do we have here?" he mumbled in a semi-sarcastic manner. The snow's stronger presence at this time of day obscured the exact details of the unusual event because of a white shade forming from the frozen drops themselves, but it failed to stop the vehicle from flying over the cold waters to investigate whatever potential problem was present. A low hum dominated the auditory landscape and blocked out all other sources of sound, especially when the bounty hunter was all alone in this very instant. The trip to the strange light was short, but its end was not pleasant in the slightest. In fact…

"You have got to be kidding me right now," Falcon gasped. In front of him was a massive hole on the side of a pale-colored skyscraper spanning a few kilometers high. The hole was very jagged and did not form any shape known to the world, which was complimented by cracks that extended a good distance into the glass. Inside, multiple floors were in flames and property was scattered in no particular order. Most of the lights were disabled through extensive damage, but there were some that managed to stay intact in the face of destruction. There were no bodies in clear view, but this did not make the scenery any less disturbing. As a matter of fact, there was a sinister message just underneath the hole; like the ones witnessed by the Sonic Phantom and Great Star, it was scrawled with blood of unknown origin. The exact words were:

_SUBMIT OR DIE, PORT TOWN_

"I better let the others know about this ASAP," the bounty hunter sighed. Time slowed down for him as he rushed to the hospital with all due haste; it only seemed like mere seconds had passed by upon reaching the area when the actual length of time was much longer. Setting his temporary vehicle inside a parking lot after passing through the necessary clearance, he strolled quickly into the main lobby and then into one of the elevators leading up to the upper floors.

* * *

_Inside Stewart's office…_

"Y'know," Dedede sighed, "As comfortable as this place is, it's starting to make feel so bored. I hope that Falcon gets back here soon or I'll go insane within the next hour."

"I don't think you'll go insane that easily, Dedede," Red muttered. His cap was removed from his head to fully reveal his brushed hair. "I will, however, say that I'm about as bored as you are. I can't wait to see the results of Peach's surgery; if Falcon doesn't arrive within the next hour or so, then at least there will be something interesting to take a gander at."

"Poyo," Kirby puffed.

"Puff," the Balloon Pokémon also agreed.

"Poyo-"

But before the Dream Land inhabitant could finish his sentence, there came forth the sounds of boots thumping outside the office. The remaining Smashers gathered around the door's translucent window to figure out who was approaching, but the range of visibility was too limited for any of them to identify the person. Dedede's bulk also did not help because it prevented the others from obtaining a desirable position.

"You're taking up too much space," Red complained calmly. His efforts to gently shove the king aside were in vain due to the huge discrepancy between the former's physical strength and the latter's weight.

"Are you calling me fat?" Dedede puffed. His glare at the young man indicated a subtle anger stemming from what could be interpreted as an insult regarding his mass.

"Well, you are one of the larger Smashers and, unlike Bowser or Ganondorf, have a lot of fat in your body."

"Hey, don't be calling me out on my-"

_Thud… Thud…_

"Can you open up the door?" the speaker, Falcon, called out.

"Wait, that's Captain Falcon we're hearing," Red muttered. "We better open up the door for him."

"Agreed," R.O.B. complimented. As Dedede gently tugged the door open, the bounty hunter's full appearance was brought into the dim lighting of the doctor's office. Jigglypuff and Kirby reacted to this event with relief as they were now ready to be freed from the boredom that had plagued them since sunrise.

"Hey, how'd you do?" Red asked.

"I won the race at Fire Field, but the stadium got destroyed by the Lords almost immediately afterwards," Falcon sighed deeply. "Did any of you guys see the report on the news?"

"Stewart showed us a snippet of the article on his tablet. The damage dealt was bad enough to send most of the structure falling into the lava below. Why are you asking us about this?"

"Because there's been a recent incident in this city. While I was leaving my home, I came across a massive hole on the side of a skyscraper that was most likely created by a bomb. The Lords have been definitely stepping up their game since Magnus was killed by Goroh on Fire Field."

"And how would you know that they're the ones who caused the explosion?" Dedede asked.

"Because I noticed a message scrawled in blood under the blast zone. It was asking for the citizens of Port Town to either submit to the Lords or perish. Also worth noting is that the style of writing used here is the same type that was present back when the Skull and Mister EAD were eliminated from the Platinum Cup."

The king's jaw dropped out of horror. "Uh oh… Now the city is in really serious trouble. I can't believe I'm saying this, but it looks like we better head back to the factory hideout and destroy it. If we can do that, then we'll be able to cripple their operations permanently."

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, bringing the matter of Peach's operation into the conversation. "Poyo-poyo."

"I don't think Peach is through with her surgery. We'll have to continue our mission without her." The conversation was then interrupted by the sound of a person approaching the office.

"Is that Stewart?" Falcon asked.

"Jigglypuff," the Pokémon replied in the affirmative. "Jigglypuff, puff."

"He said he would be back here at five, huh?" As the captain redirected his attention towards the door, he was introduced to a view of his old friend, whose surgical mask was now absent.

"I guess you should be lucky that you left Fire Field's stadium in time," the doctor remarked as he stared at Falcon. "Anyway, Peach's surgery is finally complete. Do you want to see the results?"

"Yes. Take us to the operating room."

"Right this way." Stewart guided the group out of his office, through the many hallways that made up a good portion of the hospital, and into the area where Peach's surgery had occurred. Passing through the cube-like room and heading down a small set of stairs, the Smashers were introduced to a room with moderately low lighting, with much of the aforementioned property being focused on the very center; the dark areas would have likely caused a clumsy person to trip in seconds, not that Falcon and his partners were like that at all. It was during this moment that the finished product of the surgery was fully revealed.

"Well, I gotta admit," Red muttered. "That looks pretty badass." Peach, with all the technology installed into her body, was now a combat-grade cyborg. With the sole exception of the majority of her head, her skin was replaced by a sleek, durable, and flexible alloy that was colored pink at most areas of her limbs and torso, excluding her gray-tinted thighs, upper arms, and stomach. There were tiny light panels that were spread across in an orderly fashion, with a larger one placed right at the chest area; because her cybernetic body was not fully powered up, they currently lacked any glow whatsoever. The joints, be they the elbows or the knees, inherited a more ball-like shape that contrasted with the appearance of nature-given limbs. Her missing eye was replaced with a cybernetic device that was presumably capable of offering enhanced vision capabilities. The remaining skin was more pale than usual, though most of the Smashers were not able to figure why this was the case. To top it off, a few wires from the ceiling above were connected to the cyborg princess's body through ports on the neck and chest. Overall, the surgery's product was something to behold.

"Poyo," Kirby muttered.

"It took us long hours to make sure that everything was in place, but it was worth all the effort," Stewart replied. "Now, she'll be awake in just a second."

"Puff…?" Jigglypuff scratched the back of its head in response to the last comment, but before it could say anything else, Peach could be heard moaning quietly as she slowly awakened. All others turned to witness the panels on her body beginning to glow a pale blue, with the chest area possessing the greatest luminosity. The cybernetic eye also inherited a colorful light, but it was grass-colored to slightly contrast with the panels. Quiet whirring noises were heard as the limbs moved very slowly.

"Where am I?" the princess muttered, but she then froze when a computerized screen suddenly appeared over her right eye. Initially, only the following words were present:

_CHECKING ALL SYSTEMS…_

Confused, she attempted to rub the eye with her left hand but stopped yet again upon noticing the hand's mechanical nature. A slow visual sweep revealed to her the new composition of her cybernetic body, with machinery extending from head to toe. With this revelation, panic began to boil up inside of her like an overheated liquid as she struggled to comprehend the changes made to her by Stewart and his team.

"You…" she sputtered, staring at the doctor. "You made me into a…"

"Woah, calm down," Falcon ordered. "It's nothing to be freaked out about. Stewart and his team made you into a cyborg to save your life."

"But what about the rest of the Smashers? What about Mario? How do you think they'll see me when I get back to the Smash Mansion?"

"Relax," Dedede sighed. "I'm pretty sure Mario won't see you in a different light than before, and neither will most of the others. Besides, even if they do make fun of you, your body is equipped with… ways of coercing them to stop."

The princess remained silent for the next few seconds. Reflecting upon Dedede's previous comment, she began to wonder if he really was being truthful. Peach herself had always harbored a fear of not only being ridiculed for her appearance, but for falling victim to a fake type of kindness; both could be traced all the way back to her childhood. During her early school years, a bully would sometimes show up to cause her trouble solely because of the way she dressed, and such a person would mostly use tactics of false kindness to lure her in. While this problem was not too frequent in occurrence, mainly due to her royal parents taking action against families of said bullies, it was still enough to cause the fear to be implanted inside her mind.

So, was Dedede using false kindness to throw her into a social trap? If not, then what did he mean by "ways"?

_STATUS OK. ACTIVATING RETINAL DISPLAY…_

The words flashed across in a split second. Before long, a full-fledged display was in full view of her right eye. The upper boundary contained a small compass allowing her to discern one direction from another; as she twisted her head slightly, the letters dotting the line shifted in the opposite direction. The lower right corner was home to a motion tracker that would react to people moving in close proximity by revealing dots. The upper part of the circle was marked by an inverted triangle to represent her line of sight. On the lower left area was a map generated by her connection to an online tracking system pervading the whole galaxy. The center of the lower boundary was marked by an assortment of letters and numbers that took on this pattern:

_ZXM900-01_

"Can you stand?" Stewart asked. The princess responded by removing her feet off of the metallic platform and planting them into the cold ground. Her stance was wobbly at first, but upon taking a few steps to approach the other Smashers, she was able to remain standing. The wires connected to her body were removed as this event occurred.

"I guess she's all good," Red chirped.

"Hey," Peach sighed, "I'm sorry if I got too tense earlier. It's just that I have never experienced such a major event like this."

"Don't sweat it, Princess," Falcon grunted. "There's nothing for you to worry about, socially at least."

"Yeah," Dedede added. Coupled with his tone of voice, his expression of kindness was now a clear sign that he was not luring the princess into something humiliating. "We mean this with all honesty."

"Doctor Stewart, sir?" the spiky-haired surgeon, who was now entering the room, asked. "You may need to look at this."

"What is it?" the doctor asked. After speaking, he followed his subordinate out of the room while being accompanied by the Smashers. Eventually reaching the front lobby on the first floor, the group of eight were introduced to something strange.

"The hospital's television screens no longer have access to any of the channels," the surgeon stated. His right hand began pressing a few buttons on one of the monitors. "I've tried flipping through every single one of them, but it's no good."

"I'll request a maintenance team to fix this problem," Stewart sighed. "For now, just return to your normal duties."

"Hey, something tells me that this problem isn't limited to the hospital," Falcon announced. As he pointed his right index finger at a window revealing a good portion of Port Town's central district, the Smashers gathered around to find out that most of the digital signs were also disrupted. Static replaced vibrant colors and animations, leaving the area slightly less appealing to the eye. But this problem would only become more chilling when all screens were restored... only to bring a dark image to all those present.

"What the hell?" Falcon gasped. There was now what appeared to be a black silhouette of an unidentified man standing against a dark gray background.

"Citizens of Port Town…" the speaker's voice boomed. Falcon had to open up the window for the sake of auditory clarity. "Within your city is a piece of an ancient artifact that we hope to revive our savior with. It is attached to the first-place trophy for the ongoing Platinum Cup, and we will obtain it using any means necessary. We have already annihilated the stadium at Mute City to prevent anyone in the competition from stealing it away from us…"

"Jigglypuff!" the Balloon Pokémon chirped, ignoring the speaker's intimidating presence.

"Wait, what are you saying?" Red asked.

"Cross-referencing of saved images and audio clips completed," R.O.B. beeped. "Speaker is identified as Magnus Hedin."

"But I thought he was dead. Falcon told me that he was clearly incinerated back at Fire Field."

"…unless he's used something to resurrect himself," Falcon muttered. "Keep in mind that Lillian told us Återuppliva cannot withstand burns or dismemberment, so we don't know what exactly we're dealing with here."

The dark figure, now known to the Smashers as Magnus, continued to speak. "…and if the piece is not handed over to us by tomorrow, we will destroy your precious city. We also ask for Captain Falcon, the champion that you so dearly revere, and his allies to step forth and surrender to us at the abandoned mine on the edges of this metropolis. Do not forget our demands or you will suffer for your failure to comply."

The video vanished immediately and all normal programming resumed. Falcon immediately turned to face Stewart with a dark expression on his face.

"Magnus must've used his subordinates to hack into every broadcasting station in town," the captain grunted. "That's my best guess; we still don't know much about the Lords in general. Anyway, we're heading to the mining cavern at midnight."

"What?" the doctor gasped in heavy concern. "You're going to surrender to that bastard?"

Falcon nodded his head in disgust. "I will not be doing that. Instead, I'm going to bring him a little surprise."

"What about us?" the cyborg Peach questioned. "We can help you if the going gets too tough."

"I'll have all of you tag along with me. Besides, this upcoming scenario can make good use of your enhancements, Princess."

"Speaking of enhancements," Stewart added. "I'll be sending a document showcasing how to your equipment to your retinal display. There's a neural implant that allows us to send information over to you when necessary, and it can also use wireless communication to connect to most networks."

With nothing else to say, all party members exited the hospital to prepare for a grueling battle…

* * *

_Hours earlier, after Agnetha's defeat…_

"_This is becoming troublesome,_" the leader of the Lords sighed. "_Two of the captains have already failed me in their mission to revive the Holy Serpent. If this continues, all of our losses will have been for nothing._"

"Mästare!" a Lord announced. "_I have more terrible news for you. It appears that Lady Agnetha Lindgren, the captain that you sent into the Mushroom World, has died._"

The leader let out a sigh of disbelief. Now there were three captains who had failed to retrieve the pieces from their assigned worlds, but this occurrence disturbed him far more than the others. Somehow, the Smash Brothers in the Mushroom World were able to disrupt Agnetha's healing powers, but how? An investigation had to be undertaken before it was too late, but there was another reason why the redhead's death concerned him. However, it was too early to reveal such information now…

"_She is dead…_" he quietly whispered. "_Bring her body to me as soon as you can._"

"_As you wish._" As the Lord retreated out of the room, the leader began to reflect upon Agnetha's death.

"_Oh, Agnetha… What have they done to you? You certainly do not deserve death, unlike the beings who oppose us or the captains who have failed me… I will do what I can to assist you…_"

As he fell silent, he began reaching underneath his chair to pull out a book of personal memories...

* * *

_Around midnight…_

"Once we get inside, there's no turning back," Falcon whispered to himself. He was driving his trusty vehicle to the very same mine where he battled Deathborn, a mechanical madman who sought to control light and dark for his own purposes. The two puffballs were small enough to fit inside the cockpit with him, but Dedede was forced to be carried by Charizard, who was also transporting its owner to the destination. R.O.B. and Peach were soaring through the air with the help of their thrusters; the latter, due to a lack of experience, was shaky in keeping her path straight, but she was careful enough to avoid crashing into anything of significant mass. With minutes, they passed through a rusted gate that concealed a deathtrap created by the Lords themselves.

"It's getting pretty dark in here," Dedede mumbled under his breath. R.O.B. and Peach tapped into their night vision while the Blue Falcon's headlights immediately activated when the lighting became too dim for unassisted navigation. Faint tapping was heard with echoes following immediately thereafter; to some, it was as if a minor event was stuck in a temporary time loop. The puffballs could feel tension rising up from their squeezable bodies because of the darkness, which could very well be concealing another threat besides Magnus. But such an unnerving feeling would dissipate when the group reached the end, which was marked by some illumination.

"Puff," Jigglypuff squeaked. Staring at the scenery, it noticed that most of the warm light was leaking from lava flows placed meters below. Sharp stalactites dotted the ceiling, and they were numerous enough create a potential death sentence for someone who was launched upwards. Also glued to the top of the area was a rusted frame that seemed to match the scenery's set of colors. A single track composed entirely of metal reached into the farther parts of the cavern, but not much of it was witnessed from the Pokémon's point of view. Despite being abandoned for a very long time, the overall mine still harbored a dark feeling of impending doom, even when removing the fact that Magnus and his entire army were most likely hiding within the shadows to strike terror into their next victims.

"Be ready for anything," Falcon whispered. As he stopped his vehicle with the puffballs, he slowly crawled out of the cockpit with fists tightly clenched. Charizard set both of its passengers down on the ground, and the two mechanical Smashers deactivated their flight systems. None of them were able to travel far, however, when Magnus's voice was suddenly heard from a short distance away.

"So, are you ready to surrender to us?" the obese man snarled. "I hope you are only here for that and not to commit some act of treachery against me."

"Not a chance, Magnus," Falcon replied calmly. "If you want the staff piece, then you will have to get through me. I challenge you to a battle of racers."

The dark captain's face tightened out of anger. Such an act was not acceptable by his standards. In fact, he could just kill that persistent thorn in his side right now. "You fool! I thought you had come here to surrender, not drag me into some stupid challenge!"

The bounty hunter was unaffected by Magnus's fury. "Yeah, but guess what? I'm not giving you any other choice. Either accept my request, or leave this damn realm for good. I want to give you a fair chance at obtaining the staff piece since taking your whole army down the old-fashioned way seems too easy for my group, especially for the woman that you nearly killed."

"As much as I prefer to avoid violence," Peach added, her cybernetic eye locking on to Magnus's position via targeting system, "I won't hesitate to completely rip you and your troops to shreds, and neither will the rest of us."

"Hmph! I ought to…"

But the Lord was unable to finish his sentence. With the angered eyes of most Smashers aimed right at him, it was clear that they were not willing to back away from their intended plan. He had hoped to simply steal the piece and be done with everything, assuming that there was no resistance from others, but this was now happening. Furthermore, the mention of Falcon and his group easily tearing through his own troops spoke to him in volumes due to Återuppliva's weaknesses being exploited relentlessly to where his own squadron had been reduced to a small fraction of its original size. While he was not vulnerable to this problem because of his secondary spell, it was still a major cause for concern.

Lastly, Falcon was competent enough to survive his wrath for so long when others, save for Goroh, quickly succumbed. Yes, he was a worthy opponent in his eyes; with nothing else standing in the way, maybe he could take on the pilot's challenge and even claim the one victory that had been denied to him one too many times.

"…very well," the dark captain sighed. "We shall hold a one-on-one race, here and now. As for your teammates, I will have my troops deal with them."

"If I win," Falcon declared, "Then you must leave this place. If you win, then the piece will be yours to take."

"I will hold you up to your deal." With his magic, Magnus brought out the Unbound Serpent, fully rebuilt after exposure to lava, and quickly hopped into the vehicle. As the bounty hunter retreated back to the Blue Falcon, a swarm of Lords slowly descended from the shadows above to confront the other Smashers. To prepare for a battle to the death, Red sent out Charizard from its Poké Ball while Kirby and Dedede pulled their hammers out. Jigglypuff and R.O.B. remained motionless as they simply stared at the dark beings before them. A panel on Peach's right forearm opened up to reveal an energy cannon; the cannon itself was cylinder-shaped, spanned most of the panel's length, and was connected to the rest of her cybernetic body by wires and a thin frame placed underneath.

"I hope this won't suck as much as last time," Dedede puffed.

"This time, you will lose," Magnus sneered as he and Falcon guided their vehicles to the track. Once they were in place, all was silent as a single Lord, using spheres of dark energy, started the countdown to the race's beginning. One by one, the three projectiles began to dissolve…

* * *

_I would like to think of my planned actions as a way of exacting the perfect revenge against the Lords. They nearly killed me with a bomb planted on the Falcon Flyer, and now they will dearly regret committing such a heinous act against me. With the document that Stewart sent to me, it turns out that I have a ton of equipment installed into my new body: lasers, explosives, a flight system, the list goes on. All of it will be useful in tearing those cultists a new one, and it will also be a guaranteed way of overpowering Bowser if he tries to kidnap me again._

_But… I'm still a little nervous as to how the Smashers may see me once I come back. I can only pray that they don't send me into a humiliating scenario. As for Mario, I hope he's alright on his journey…_

_-Peach Toadstool_

* * *

**And the final race is about to begin. With nothing else in the way, who will win? The F-Zero pilot or the dark warrior?**

**It took me a while to get this chapter up because I had to transfer all of my files to a new laptop that I had received for Christmas, but it was also because I was struggling to find good ideas for this part of the story. As for the next chapter, I don't have a whole lot to say about it other than the fact that it will reveal where the trophy is at this whole time.**

**A/N:**

**-In _F-Zero X_, if your vehicle spins too fast around a cylinder, you will pretty much fall to your death.**

**R&amp;R, like always.**


	18. Captain Falcon's Theatre: Finale

Captain Falcon's Theatre (finale): One Final Race

* * *

**Time to race.**

**Show me your moves!**

* * *

_The effects of excessive isolation are undeniable…_

_Souls who are stuck in a dangerously long period of reclusiveness will be plagued with damaged relationships and the inability to call upon others in times of crisis…_

_Both the self-imposed and forced variants hinder a person's ability to connect with others, and the former is seen also as a sign of fear, hatred, and apathy…_

_Regardless of type, this can prevent those around them from giving out any help…_

_While short periods of seclusion can help relax the mind, isolation should not be performed indefinitely…_

_Some even go insane due to negative thoughts that arise from the mind…_

_Furthermore, the aforementioned dark beliefs can force a person to turn to horrible acts…_

* * *

"Show me your moves, Magnus!" Captain Falcon grunted as he and Magnus Hedin launched their vehicles across the opening portion of the track. Within seconds, the metallic frame that ominously loomed overhead vanished as the cavern's height was sharply reduced to a mere fraction of its original measurement. A strange, yellowish glow also started to emerge from the track when the two racers were far enough from the starting line, almost as if something luminescent was buried within the metallic frame. Magnus, now free from the restrictions that had plagued him, immediately resorted to attacking Falcon with brute force.

_WHAM!_

"Looks like you're not holding back this time," the bounty hunter sighed. Indeed, Magnus's behavior was noticeably more violent and discriminating than before, even when ignoring the fact that he and Falcon were the only racers in this grueling battle. Slams and spins were being tossed out at a greater frequency, which was appropriately coupled with increased power.

"The piece _will_ be mine, Falcon," Magnus growled sinisterly, "And you will not stop me or my leader." While entering a larger part of the repurposed mine where separate portions of the track almost touched each other, the dark captain proceeded to continue his violent behavior, but Falcon was quick to fight back with his own arsenal of offensive maneuvers. With all of its strength, the Blue Falcon attacked at a rhythmic pace that was unaffected by the track twisting onto its side, which seemingly altered where the lava's characteristic glow was emerging from. The Unbound Serpent then attempted to throw out a heavy blow that could cripple or even outright destroy smaller vehicles, but this was avoided by the bird of prey's swift movements.

"You'd be surprised on how difficult it is for someone to put me down," Falcon sighed. Sweeping in fast, he attempted to shove Magnus against the railing spanning the right side of the track, but the Lord utilized his vehicle's bulk to resist the blow and even force the longtime Smasher into a stalemate. The track returned to the orientation it had assumed at the very beginning, but this was marked by the introduction of a new obstacle: superheated panels of steel that shined a dangerous white and added more heat to the cavern.

"Shit, nearly forgot about those things," the bounty hunter grunted. His efforts to avoid damage from extreme temperatures were mired by Magnus's aggressive attacks, which had now chipped off about a third of the Blue Falcon's total energy.

* * *

"You guys are just asking to get smashed, big time," Dedede puffed. His hammer was plowing through row after row of Lords, of which there were close to several hundred, creating a mess of blackened blood and smashed innards. Against a steel floor as polished as the one he was on, the overall amount of gore created a sort of duality that was seldom noticed, though the contrast between the two elements was as clear as day and night. The greedy king then launched a Gordo at a single foe, but the projectile was magically reflected with ease. Just a few meters away, Peach was in the process of demonstrating her wrist-mounted cannon's devastating potential.

_I've only been a cyborg for a few hours, but I'm already beginning to see the benefits,_ the princess pondered to herself. Spheres of white energy zipped out of her weapon at breakneck speeds, which ensured that no cultist would escape annihilation. Limbs and heads were vaporized at a rate that would surprise even the other Smashers, assuming that they were not being harassed. Further fueling the flames of brutal death was Charizard's powerful Flamethrower, which successfully reduced robes to ashes and overwhelmed Återuppliva's power to rapidly regenerate most body parts. Two Lords attempted to strike the Flame Pokémon with crossing bolts of electricity, but a simple roll was all that the latter needed to remain safe. Kirby and Jigglypuff were about to team up for a powerful attack when a swarm of icy spheres began to pummel their air-filled bodies with intense ferocity.

_POW! POW!_

"Puff!" the Balloon Pokémon shrieked as its nerves were filled with pain. While Kirby also yelped loudly, he was quick to shatter the harmful hail with his hammer. R.O.B. contributed to the resistance by firing off lasers from his mechanical eyes.

"Poyo," Kirby chirped.

"You are welcome," the robot responded. He then proceeded to eviscerate a few more foes with a combination of lasers and thruster-produced fire. One foe was able to sneak in a blow with a dark sphere, but this move was quickly punished by R.O.B. utilizing his arms to swiftly tear her head off.

"Heads up, Peach!" Dedede shouted, having noticed a Lord ready to attack the cyborg princess. With lightning-fast reflexes made possible by technology, Peach launched herself into the air and retaliated with a fist that penetrated her aggressor's torso; as she pulled away, her cannon changed into a narrower shape as it entered a mode designed for close combat. Before the Lord could even discern what was about to happen…

_SLASH!_

The green energy blade that suddenly extended from the gun tore through the evil man in an instant. His upper body slowly slid off the waist and onto the floor, where it was subsequently stepped on by its owner's comrades.

* * *

Falcon and Magnus were still in a hot struggle for dominance, with neither side holding a decisive advantage. The near-endless cycle of stalemates seemed to repeat quite frequently, with the reset trigger coming in the form of energy strips placed at certain points on the track. In fact, it was not uncommon for one of the drivers to be saved by pure luck when he was about to be destroyed by the other. The equal standing in terms of skill was also a major factor, primarily because it prevented the two opposing captains to keep harassing each other for long. The traps, as deadly as they were, failed to cause significant damage to the Blue Falcon or the Unbound Serpent because of infrequent exposure, which was the final nail in nullifying all advantages. Falcon, taking note of all this, conjured a simple question inside his mind:

_Will this end in a tie…?_

_CRACK!_

The world around the bounty hunter shook harshly as he was shoved against a rail separating him from a fiery end. Now guided back into reality, he shattered Magnus's tight grip by spinning much faster than normal. With each hit, the Unbound Serpent lost a good amount of energy and was rattled to the point where the dark captain simply could not keep his path straight. Seeing red again, he knocked the back of the Blue Falcon in an attempt to send the bounty hunter spiraling out of control, but Falcon was able to hold his ground via drifting. Subsequent attempts were marked by failure despite the sharp turns granting a perfect opportunity to destabilize and even kill Port Town's renowned guardian.

"It's time to make this race a little more… explosive," Magnus sighed forcefully. Forcing the top of his cockpit open, he launched several white spheres ahead of his position, much to the confusion of Falcon.

"What is he doing?" the bounty hunter asked himself. At the beginning of the second lap, Magnus's projectiles zipped ahead and soon fell out of sight. Shrugging the event off as just a minor distraction, he engaged his boosters to soar ahead and win the battle for the piece. The distance between heroic bird and sinister serpent increased as time passed by; even the latter's boost power was not enough to catch up. Falcon passed through the cavern with no problem whatsoever, but as he approached the area filled with sizzling metals, a dreaded surprise was ready to catch him off-guard. The Blue Falcon unintentionally approached one of the planted spheres…

_BOOM!_

"What the?!" the good captain yelped. In seconds, his vehicle was suddenly shoved into a hazard zone by an explosion from the left. As Falcon struggled to regain control, the extreme temperatures started eating away at the Blue Falcon's energy to add more fuel to the problem. To make matters even worse, Magnus was slowly catching up; if Falcon could not break free from his current predicament, the dark captain believed, then the piece was almost guaranteed to be in possession of the Lords. Within the next few seconds, the Unbound Serpent was able to reduce the distance between the Blue Falcon and itself by remaining at a higher speed due to the avoidance of traps. Falcon was able to regain his composure, but by then, the Lord was already within striking distance.

"Better make a quick getaway," the Port Town denizen puffed. The boosters were immediately engaged for the purpose of fleeing, but Magnus also started speeding up to remain in close contact.

"Run into one of my spheres," the Lord sighed. "It will make the race so much easier for me." But the bounty hunter, having noticed the traps ahead, indirectly responded by utilizing evasive movements that were both fast and precise.

"I won't fall for your trick again," Falcon proclaimed.

* * *

"Charizard, use Flare Blitz!" Red ordered, shoving a nearby Lord into the lava as he did so. At its owner and friend's command, the draconic Pokémon coated its body in flames before furiously charging right into several Lords who were distracted with Peach.

_BOOM!_

"Woah, that nearly got me," the princess gasped. The impact of the fiery attack resulted in a large explosion that engulfed no less than approximately twenty cultists, with loud screams and uncontrolled body motions following immediately thereafter. Some of the victims, blinded by the searing flames, unknowingly dashed off the battleground and into the bubbling lava. Meanwhile, Charizard felt pain tearing through its physical form as it bounced backwards from the earlier collision; its limbs temporarily felt too heavy to move due to the nerves in each being overloaded, and its brain pounded relentlessly against its cranium, almost as if the former was struggling to break free. All this was enough to let two foes earn a free hit via lightning bolts.

_ZAP! ZAP!_

"ARRGH!" the Flame Pokémon painfully yelled. It attempted to rise back up, but a darkness-fueled kick to the gut forced it to once again topple over. It was not until a sudden blur decapitated the dark Lords that it was freed from its short-lived but hellish torment. With limbs still weakened from the recoil damage, it slowly stood up to receive a glimpse of its savior.

"Gotta love the good ol' upgrade I made to this thing," Dedede sighed. The back of his hammer had split apart to reveal a jet engine constructed from state-of-the-art technology. White flames emerged from the exhaust port and reached distances of approximately a few centimeters. Sparks zipped around the outer casing, giving Charizard the perception that the mechanical device was absolutely bursting with raw energy. And that was not too far away from the truth. The wood-forged front was stained and even outright dripping with a heavy amount of black blood, especially when considering the sheer force utilized in the king's most recent attack.

"Rargh!" Charizard grunted out of appreciation. Wasting no time at all, it then continued to scorch enemies with its fiery breath. Nearby, Kirby leaped into the air and immediately transformed into a pink, semi-symmetrical stone with closed eyes. Within a split second…

_CRACK!_

The impact of the skull-cracking move reduced an enemy's head into small chunks that soared into the steel floor. Immediately after this violent scene, Kirby leaped out of his stone form to pulverize a few more Lords with his hammer, now ignited with yellow flames. Loud cracks rang throughout the area as solid wood shattered bones into small pieces, standing out over all the other noises of the current battle.

"Let's shake things up!" Dedede announced. With a short but powerful yell, the self-proclaimed ruler of Dream Land executed his signature move, soaring into the air and then landing with a loud thud that nearly forced the floor to vibrate; a single foe was crushed underneath his massive bulk, and most of the others stumbled backwards as they failed to hold their ground. However, two Lords resisted this earthquake-inducing event and quickly fired spheres of ice from their hands.

_CHINK!_

"Oh, no way," the king groaned. The attack left most of his lower body frozen within an irregular formation of ice, and a stinging sensation, which almost felt like a burn, subsequently overtook him. His hammer was effective enough to break the solid form of hydrogen dioxide to tiny bits, but by the time the job was finished, a spear composed of pure energy impaled him right in the left shoulder.

_CRACK!_

"YOW!" The injured king could feel something, presumably a bone, snapping inside his body. Needless to say, the affected area immediately became a deeper shade of red thanks to the bleeding, although it was not too noticeable due to the existing hue of Dedede's robe.

"Puff!" Jigglypuff yelled as it knocked a foe into the lava. Utilizing its ability to remain in the air, it leaped off the platform to distract some of the Lords long enough for assisted kills; the Balloon Pokémon was, by this point, already aware that it would not be able to directly defeat the Lords outside of Rest or environment hazards, so creating an eye-grabbing scene was one of its best attempts at contributing to the battle. Attacks were thrown out at a frequent rate, but Jiggypuff's excellent mobility in the air rendered them useless.

"Just my luck," Peach sighed to herself. With her bionic eye locking on via the use of reticles, she dived into her distracted targets like an angry, mechanized hawk and proceeded to slice through all of them with her extended blade. Most of the slaughtered Lords fell off the platform, with their bodies splitting apart halfway between cold steel and molten rock.

"Jigglypuff," the Balloon Pokémon chirped, floating back to the battle's center.

"No problem," the princess replied. As she once again soared into the air, her cannon changed back into its original shape before firing more shots at the cultists.

* * *

"The final lap's approaching," Falcon grunted to himself. Indeed, as he continued to evade both the explosive traps and the Unbound Serpent, the starting point zipped into view for the second time, now acting as that one gateway to the most intense part of the race. Also within clear view was the battle between his fellow Smashers and Magnus's troops, complete with black blood soaking the floor and the two side exchanging serious blows. This simultaneously interested and worried the captain; the interest stemmed primarily from the valiant fighters, especially Peach, being able to hold off against a horde of foes that they had never encountered before. Aside from Lillian revealing their weaknesses, nearly everything about the Lords was shrouded in complete mystery, especially the full extent of their magical powers. While the adventure so far was not an easy one, what those sinister cultists were currently using seemed unable to hold the Smashers back for good. If the conditions were right, Falcon believed, then the Smash Brothers would successfully destroy the enemy in a matter of days, effectively keeping Lillian's home and the Staff of Björn safe.

But the mysteriousness of the Lords was still a major cause for concern. For all the knowledge that was available to Falcon and the others, there could very well be at least one deadly weapon hidden within the dark organization, and if it was ever encountered by a stroke of soured luck…

As the Blue Falcon passed up the starting line, Lillian's mentioning of a hostile encounter that drained her of energy zipped back into the racer's memory.

* * *

_"Most of my energy was consumed in an earlier battle, and whatever was left was focused into the signal that I summoned earlier." This statement left the Smashers wondering just what sort of enemy had confronted Lillian. If it was the Orm's Lords organization, especially if it was in possession of a deadly foe, then that could mean that they would be facing a powerful group of enemies that they were unaware of until now. Some of the Smashers were chilled by this very thought alone, while others tried to suppress it to not have their confidences weakened._

* * *

"I hope I don't get to see the thing that attacked Lillian," Falcon sighed. Refocusing on the race, he narrowly avoided a damning blow from Magnus, who was quickly closing in.

"Count yourself lucky that you've been able to withstand my wrath so far," the dark captain growled, activating his vehicle's boosters in the process. "But let it be known that you can only take so much before you begin to crack."

"I better start boosting my way to the finish," the bounty hunter, having noticed Magnus's most recent action, muttered. The Blue Falcon's engaged boosters carried the captain all the way to the large area of semi-intertwining course segments, which was far more than what could be said about the equivalents present on the Lord's bulkier machine. The explosive spheres, which had not dissipated at the start of the lap, were avoided with relative ease despite the superheated metals limiting all possible maneuverability options.

"Maybe this deal is just a way of cheating my group of victory…" Magnus snarled. Even in the mere timespan of a few seconds, the dark captain already began to interpret Falcon's challenge as a way of keeping the staff piece out of his hands. If only he had taken care of his foes earlier, preferably in a way that did not involve racing, then he would already be relishing in his victory. There was only one other way to ensure that Falcon did not triumph.

"The deal is meaningless to me now," the Lord puffed. "I can just abandon it altogether and relieve Falcon of his burdens by executing him myself." Harmlessly passing through his traps, which did not explode due to a mechanism that allowed recognition of their owner, he forced his cockpit open in order to jump out at the right time. A loud blowing noise instantly entered his ears as warm air pressed against his hulking form.

"…?" Falcon gasped. As he forced his machine to slow down due to its energy reaching critically low levels, a rear-facing mirror revealed to him an image of his rival preparing to exit the Unbound Serpent, which began to glow purple after magic was subsequently cast on it. The finish line was only a few meters away, but the bounty hunter did not immediately realize this because of his attention being diverted towards Magnus. It was only after he passed through the course's last energy strip did he shrug off the strange event.

"Can't get distracted now," he grunted. Using one final boost, he soared past the finish line and instantly felt a wave of relief soak his body. Now that he was the victor of this grueling race, the staff piece was now his, meaning that he could help complete the Staff of Björn and put a permanent end to the Lords…

_WHAM!_

"Hitting me again, huh?" the captain sighed as his vehicle recovered from the hit. "It's not going to help you now."

_CRACK!_

"Damn!" Falcon could barely shield himself from the flying glass shards that used to make up the cockpit's hatch, and not one second had passed before Magnus, now armed with his combat hammer, leaped into clear view. The expression on the bald man's face was comparable to that of a vicious wolf ready to claim its prey, with teeth bared and eyes alight with murderous intent. Furthermore, the skin was bright red with rage, the veins began to shed their subdued appearance in favor of darker coloring, and the month appeared to be frothing slightly.

"I will not stand being denied the piece anymore!" Magnus roared. "It's time that I showed you my true potential!"

"What the fuck are you doing?!" Falcon fired back. He proceeded to swerve the Blue Falcon back and forth to shake the Lord off. "Get off my vehicle now!"

Magnus's anger only increased as the demanding words entered his ears. "Never. I have sent the Unbound Serpent back to the factory hideout, but I do not need it to finish you off! Now, _DIE FOR ME!_"

_WHOOSH!_

"Okay, that's it," the savior of Port Town grunted. After setting his vehicle to auto-pilot, he soared out of the cockpit and onto the rear. "You want a true battle? Well, I'll give you one in a second!"

* * *

"Geez, how many of these guys are there?" Red muttered. A left-to-right sweep of the terrain revealed that there were still dozens of Lords remaining on the battlefield, even after the heavy casualties they had suffered through. Flames and cutting maneuvers were keeping them at bay, but the Pokémon Champion from Pallet Town was still worried that his fellow Smashers, except for Peach, would eventually run out of energy and succumb to a gruesome fate, one that would mentally rattle even the most seasoned of fighters.

"Wargh!" Charizard snarled. Flying into the repurposed mine's ceiling, it tore off a part of the rusted frame with its claws and began utilizing it as a way of battering and impaling multiple foes at one time. When combined with Peach and R.O.B.'s high-tech weapons, this new strategy left many Lords dismembered, with some even getting parts of their bodies thrown into the lava. The hammers of the Dream Land duo also contributed to the chaotic violence, although they were less efficient in regards to their raw killing power. Jigglypuff still continued to throw foes off the field, and Red was forced to defend himself on several occasions.

"Charizard, catch this!" Peach called out. With superhuman strength, she tossed an unlucky foe right into the sharp end of the Flame Pokémon's new weapon, which was held upwards in preparation…

_SPLACK!_

"Rrgh…" the fiery creature grunted as black blood sprayed onto its orange skin. Within seconds, its natural appearance was ruined by the extreme contrast of the two colors, which was very likely to give an outsider the impression that it got dumped into some contaminated liquid. This detail was not focused on for long, however, and the assault on the Lords resumed like nothing ever happened.

"_Jigglypuff… Jigglypuff…_"

"Hey, cover your ears!" Dedede announced. His eyes caught the glimpse of the air-filled Pokémon singing a sleep-inducing song, which caused some of the Lords around to collapse very suddenly. Peach and R.O.B. temporarily deactivated their hearing ports while the rest of the group placed hands over ears.

"_What is this…_" a single Lord yawned. His arms wobbled as they struggled to support him, but such resistance to sleepiness would be in vain when the elbows suddenly entered a bent shape, causing the man's head to strike the blood-soaked floor. Most of his surviving comrades also suffered this fate as each musical note of Jigglypuff's song impacted their ear drums.

"Routing power to laser projectors," R.O.B. beeped. While most of the cultists gradually succumbed to the mist of drowsiness, the robot's eyes inherited a reddish glow that only grew more intense with each passing second. Some of the Smashers, particularly Dedede and Charizard, were forced to roll out of the way when they noticed just what he was about to perform.

_ZAP-WOOOOOOO!_

"Glad I wasn't in the way," the greedy king gasped. In front in him was a new assortment of corpses that were missing their upper halves. Due to the extreme power of R.O.B.'s overclocked laser beams, there was absolutely nothing that remained above the waist, not even a shred of flesh.

"Projectors overheating; entering cooldown mode," the robot chirped. As his eyes slowly lost their dangerous glow, he launched one of his signature Gyros to attack a distant foe.

* * *

"Come at me, Magnus," Falcon taunted. He was now standing on the side of his vehicle because of the track's current orientation. "Show me what you have in store."

"I will," the Lord replied, his form glued firmly to the Blue Falcon because of his anti-gravity magic. Reaching out with surprisingly quick reflexes, he attempted to shove the good captain against the road. This was almost successful…

_POW!_

…until he received a flame-fueled jab to the gut. Rapid swings of the hammer were also fairly close to striking the intended target, but despite the battle area having very limited space, Falcon was able to swiftly avoid damage by tapping into his acrobatic prowess. The Falcon Kick was brought into play for the purpose of launching Magnus off the vehicle, but a sharp swing of the hammer caused the fiery blow to fail in its endeavor. A loud cracking noise rang throughout the cavern as Falcon's right ankle was damaged from the blow; the bounty hunter was forced to squeeze the broken area with one hand, with the other holding onto the cockpit in response to the track briefly assuming an upward path.

"That's more like it," was the dark captain's sneering remark. At this point, the track quickly reassumed its regular orientation, forcing both fighters to leap back onto the Blue Falcon's topmost surface. Magnus launched an icicle right at his foe, but the attack missed and struck one of the explosive spheres instead. In response, Falcon engaged his unwieldy but powerful Raptor Boost. On impact, the bald man was thrown a short distance into the air, with his bearded chin sustaining the full damage inflicted by the fiery fist. Several more rounds of the attack were executed, with each one burning a different part of the Lord's obese body.

"You should've upheld your part of the bargain, Hedin," the bounty hunter slowly remarked. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this."

"Why should I follow your deal when I can just rip you apart and save myself the trouble?" Magnus puffed. As he prepared to his swing his weapon, his burns were healed up by the same magic present in his fellow captains, which Falcon quickly noticed.

"Just as I suspected," the pilot muttered, his eyes widening with shock. "You are using something greater than Återuppliva, aren't you?"

"Correct," Magnus replied. "The captains of the glorious Orm's Lords are enhanced with healing abilities more advanced than what Åtreuppliva alone can provide. This means that burns and dismemberment will not work against me or anyone else who leads a segment of our organization. Face it, Falcon; you have no hope of stopping me."

The heroic captain cracked his knuckles together. "If I can't kill you, then I can at least keep you down long enough to get the staff piece first."

"You may try it, Falcon. But I must warn you; it will not be an easy task." The Lord quickly proceeded to freeze his foe's legs with icy magic to ensure that subsequent hits were not evaded. The dark hammer was raised into the air, then…

_CRACK! CRACK!_

"AGH!" Falcon yelled. He could feel his ribs crack like rocks during an earthquake, which was accompanied by a painful throbbing that almost felt like an inner parasite attempting to break free. This pain was something that he had rarely encountered during his forty-plus years of living; even the worst of bounty hunting missions, including those that involved the dreaded Black Shadow, did not necessarily involve injury of such a high magnitude. As much as danger enjoyed sneaking up on him due to his reputation as a bounty hunter, his lifestyle of relative solitude was able to keep him out of situations that involved serious harm.

But this was no longer true. And now, he was going to perish unless something was done…

_CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!_

"Giving up already, dear savior of Port Town?" Magnus taunted, his wide grin dominating his facial expression.

"I will… never go down… without a fight," Falcon coughed. Igniting his fists, he transformed his icy prison into a mere puddle of water that dampened the top of his vehicle. Magnus attempted to strike again, but his hammer was halted at the very last moment by opposing hands.

"You think you can take my hammer away from me?" the dark captain asked. "Don't make me go insane with laughter." However, Falcon did not verbally respond. Instead, a bright glow began to envelop the pilot's right fist, and before there could be any reaction to this event…

"Falcon…"

_BOOM!_

"PUNCH!" On impact, the Falcon Punch launched Magnus right into the cockpit. A huge burn spot was present on the obese captain's chest, and his legs were cut up by the glass that remained stuck to the hatch. These injuries were quickly healed, but the attack provoked deep-seated anger to rise from inside the darkest parts of the mind.

"_He tricked me…_" the Lord snarled. "_I will personally make sure that he suffers slowly and painfully for his actions! I WILL TEAR HIM APART, LIMB BY LIMB!_"

"Ride's over, Magnus!" Falcon announced. His Falcon Kick was engaged again, and this time, it was able to nail his rival square in the gut.

* * *

"I need to try something a little more effective," Peach sighed. Her laser cannon's frontal ring rotated halfway to the right, a sign that the energy being used to fire shots was being changed. Following this, a blue glow slowly emerged from the weapon, which contrasted with the dark interior witnessed in the standard mode. Determined to test the beam's full potential, she targeted several Lords before raining a hail of shots upon them.

_CH-CH-CH-CH-CH-CHINK!_

"That's better," the princess sighed. The attacked cultists were now completely encapsulated in sheets of ice that stretched across their entire bodies, effectively preventing them from even twitching a muscle. While soaring to the other side of the field, she noticed Kirby and Dedede shattering frozen bodies with their hammers. What she did not catch, however, was a lightning bolt quickly approaching her from behind like an airborne snake.

_ZAP!_

"Damn it," she grunted painfully. The electrical overload forced her thrusters to temporarily shut down, and because she was a few meters off the ground, a quick fall was essentially inevitable. But the impact was not too painful; given the information from Stewart's document, her body was able to withstand anything that was incapable of causing noticeable damage, and her pain receptors were modified to not feel anything unless she sustained a hard enough blow. A few Lords began to surround her in order to deliver the killing strike, but she froze all of them in a split second.

"You guys thought I was defenseless, didn't you?" she remarked. A few seconds later, Charizard shattered the frozen foes with its melee weapon. As pieces of ice and organic tissue scattered into the air, the draconic Pokémon noticed black stains embedded on each. But this sight was short-lived, for the bits fell into the blood-soaked floor and, in the ice's case, quickly melted due to their small mass.

"Charizard, fly up and use Flamethrower!" Red ordered. After deflecting a shadowy projectile with its weapon, Charizard soared into the air and rained furious hell upon the very foes who sought to revive a monster from the depths. As most of the others watched the fiery Pokémon perform its job, screaming echoed throughout the cave and overwhelmed all other noises produced by the skirmish. The shrill, chilling property of each Lord's scream was comparable to that of a demon being relentlessly and rightfully punished for its vile actions, permanently subjected to the nightmarish environment of Hell itself. The burning bodies were also very symbolic of damnation, as it represented the truly sinister receiving all the pain they had inflicted upon others in a much stronger form.

"I think this battle's close to being over," Dedede remarked. "I'm not seeing a whole lot of Lords left."

But the comment did not comfort Red, for something else had just entered his mind. "Hey, where is Falcon? He should be finished with the race by now."

The king gently scratched the back of his head. "I don't think he's finished ye-"

"No, Dedede. While I was keeping Charizard in check, I saw his vehicle pass through this area _three times_. That means he should already be done."

"Yeah, but why-"

_WhoooOOOOO…_

"Poyo! Poyo!" Kirby chirped, his right arm pointing at the incoming Blue Falcon. As the others rotated their bodies to witness Falcon's return, the vehicle suddenly halted with assistance from the emergency brakes and launched Magnus, no longer inside the Unbound Serpent, clean out of the now-damaged cockpit.

"Puff?" Jigglypuff squeaked confusedly. The absence of the Unbound Serpent was… too odd to be a normal occurrence, so to speak, for there was supposed to be race in progress. So, what…

"Finally, we can demonstrate our full potential outside of a race," Magnus grunted as he slowly stood up. "The loss of my troops will not deter me from destroying you and your persistent group."

"That's very true," Falcon sighed, stepping out of his vehicle. "But do you want to know what else is true? Not counting your troops, we have you outnumbered seven to one. We can easily beat you down with our combined strength."

A snarl stretched across Magnus's face. "Such a serious error in judgment… I will show you why the captains of the Orm's Lords are feared by many."

"I'll be the fair judge of your potential. Now let's get started with this, shall we?" As Falcon and his fellow Smashers compacted themselves into one group, Magnus ordered the remainder of his troops, having been spared from the vicious incineration, to attack with all that they were given. Without a second left for slower moments until the end, the battle resumed. Laser beams, shadowy spheres, flames, and other deadly projectiles soared throughout the warm air, with some eventually striking their intended targets and others causing minor damage to the barren environment. Some of the Smashers, including Peach and Charizard, returned to the air and continued to deliver death from above. But even through all of the chaos, the two opposing captains were focused only on each other, ready to square off in a battle of physical dominance.

"Taste this!" Falcon yelled. In one swift motion, he extended a flaming elbow out to launch Magnus across the field, but while burns were inflicted, the Lord only suffered moderate flinching. His opponent responded with a far-reaching swing that managed to graze the front of the pilot's chest. The pain from the earlier hammer-inflicted strikes reignited and left Falcon unable to move for a short period of time, despite it being noticeably less severe. As with the previous occasion, the imaginary parasites threatened to burst out.

"You are growing weaker with each second," Magnus snarled. His hammer was able to strike Falcon right in the grazed part of his chest, causing the latter to stumble backwards. "Well, I will make sure that you never recover!"

"Wrong," Falcon coughed. As the dark hammer attempted to batter him again, he rolled across the floor and, with precise timing, grabbed Magnus by the chin. The follow-up toss forced the dark captain to land on his bald scalp…

_CRACK!_

…which inflicted a short period of deep dizziness. Even with his advanced healing abilities and great resilience, it was inevitable that the world around him would be momentarily reduced to an assortment of dull blurs. In fact, he was not able to notice the Knee Smash, bursting with electricity, flying towards his chest until it was too late. Magnus toppled over quickly and was left unable to stand back up, but by a stroke of luck, a single thrust of the hammer, even if it was slightly weaker than normal, successfully pounded Falcon in the abdomen.

"You cannot… defeat me…!" Magnus groaned loudly. After being winded by the hammer, Falcon was forced to roll backwards to remain safe. But the injuries from minutes ago slowed down the rate at which he was able to move, enough to the point where he barely avoided another concussive hit.

"Anything's possible, Hedin," the bounty hunter replied. An icicle was thrown at him by the dark captain, but the Falcon Punch was able to simultaneously melt and shatter the frozen harbinger of destruction. Yelling loudly, Magnus slammed his hammer into the ground to create an earthquake that harshly rattled the steel track and, in doing so, toppled over some of the ongoing battle's participants, including some of his own followers. Falcon leaped over the attack and was thus spared from the vibration, albeit at the cost of worsening the pain to his right ankle. A shadow ball was launched at the good captain by a single Lord, but it failed to hit its intended target.

"Die already!" Magnus roared. Now freed from his bout of dizziness, he rushed at Falcon with a sort of bravado that could only be matched by few. Falcon, being the more agile of the two captains, leaped over his opponent's head and quickly attacked with a backhanded strike.

_POW!_

"That feels good, doesn't it?" the bounty hunter quipped. Predictably, Magnus's fury continued to intensify upon hearing the comment, forcing him to attack in a far more erratic manner than usual. Icicles were hurled at a quick pace and hammer swings were faster and stronger, effectively placing a greater strain on the injured Falcon, whose pain still lingered. Despite this, evasive maneuvers were still helpful in avoiding greater damage; on some occasions, they even caused Magnus to unintentionally slaughter his own troops. Offensively, Falcon battered his foe with several rounds of the Falcon Kick in the hopes of knocking him off the track.

"Peach, we need some help here," Dedede called out. Most of the remaining Lords began to close in on him and Kirby, who was starting to show signs of fatigue. The puffball's arms wobbled, his breath was becoming shorter with each second, and his speed began to drop by significant increments. If this battle kept on going, he believed, then there was no telling what would happen in the end. Wooden hammers knocked off some heads and Dedede's Gordos left foes incapacitated long enough to be taken down by a subsequent blow, but the cultists still pressed forward like a swarm of dark insects.

"Poyo!" Kirby cried out, desperate to receive help from the cyborg princess. Since most of the other Smashers were too busy fighting off their opponents, as the puffball noticed in his observation of the field, Peach was the only one available for assistance. A single Lady grabbed by the forehead and tossed him right into the greedy king, who accidentally smacked him while attempting to reduce an enemy's head to blackened paste.

"Oh, shit!" Dedede gasped. Realizing his latest error, he twirled his hammer along the floor to keep the puffball safe, with some success. But while getting his jet engine ready to charge, he was nailed in the face by a shadow ball.

"Sonavabitch…!" he yelled, tightly clenching his face. Owing to the fact that his eyes were blinded by the attack, darkness was all that he could stare at. His temporary blindness was so serious that none of the scenery was available for him to look at…

_CRACK! CHINK!_

…nor did it allow him to defend against an icy blast from the left. A frozen sheet rapidly stretched across most of his body and left him unable to move. During this, the king also lost his grip on the one weapon that he was infamous for.

"Peach, where are you?!" he yelled again. As Dedede regained his vision, he could hear Kirby screaming in bloody pain, presumably from being brutalized by the Lords. Adrenaline began to course in his bloodstream more than ever before; even though he and the puffball were not always on good terms with each other, mostly due to the former's greediness, they did get along on certain occasions and would even team up to fight off common foes. Also, there was never any desire from one side to have the other killed, even if there were serious injuries involved in a fight.

Regardless of the past conflicts, Dedede believed that it was his duty to protect his fellow Smashers in times of darkness, including his on-again, off-again rival.

"Gotta break free…" he grunted. With his hammer out of reach, the king proceeded to pound his gloved fists against the chilling ice. The pain commonly found from striking a hard surface ensued almost immediately in the king's knuckles, for the ice was extremely durable against unaided blows, and the blood-freezing chill only worsened this problem. All the while, Kirby was being tortured by the Lords with dark magic and physically powerful blows. It almost seemed to the puffball that the pain would never end, until…

_BOOM!_

"Yikes!" Kirby could hear Dedede shout. Upon the primary protector of Dream Land opening his eyes, he noticed right in front of him a large spot of bloody messes that were once several Lords, complete with a burnt coloring added to the steel floor. While he slowly stood up, a reddish sphere of pure energy landed right into another group of cultists and exploded in the split second that followed afterwards. The puffball slowly rolled his eyes upward to catch the sight of his savior.

"Poyo," he chirped in appreciation. Floating a few meters away was Peach, whose cannon was now set to a fourth mode designed for more explosive power. The cannon itself harbored a reddish glow emerging from within and its outer ring was separated into four segments of equal length.

"Sorry that I couldn't get here earlier," the princess remarked somewhat slowly. "I had to pull Charizard out of a tricky situation since it was paralyzed by a pretty strong thunderbolt. If I hadn't stepped in at the right moment, it would have been torn apart in seconds."

"Hey, you think you can give me a hand?" Dedede suggested. At the king's request, the augmented princess shattered the ice with a single punch, although she also hammered him in the stomach by accident.

"Ugh… Thanks…" the penguin-like being moaned. While retrieving his hammer, he was forced to lower his upper body because of the dull but persistent pain that plagued his large stomach. Nevertheless, his efficiency in battle remained as strong as it ever was, demonstrated by his swift attacks tearing enemy bodies apart.

"Charizard, use Shadow Claw!" Red ordered. On cue, the Pokémon's right hand was surrounded with a purple-black glow that contrasted with the orange skin. No longer bounded by the moveset restrictions witnessed in Smash battles, Charizard rushed ahead with a loud roar and sliced off several heads with its darkness-fueled talons.

"This fight is almost over," R.O.B. commented to himself. A sweeping analysis aided by his advanced technology revealed that there were approximately less than thirty Lords remaining, which greatly contrast from the hundreds, if not thousands of Lords that were present at the beginning. Several more lasers were fired from the robot's eyes to drop the number even further to a rough estimate of twenty.

"Puff," Jigglypuff chirped as it smacked two more foes into the lava. With Charizard's help, it was able to eliminate the remainder of the troops, officially leaving Magnus all on his own.

"Here comes the big one," Falcon remarked. Tossing his larger enemy into the air, he leaped upwards and quickly latched on with the far-reaching Falcon Dive. Magnus felt minor burns as the bounty hunter's hands sank into his chest, but such injuries would only be the prelude to something far more damaging.

_BOOM!_

"YES!" Falcon shouted. The attack's resulting explosion launched the dark captain right into the track's finish line, all while leaving him with serious burns on his thick skin. By this point, his clothing was badly damaged from exposure to flames, leaving large parts of his body exposed to the cave's warm air. Getting up at a slower speed than normal, he was about to smash Falcon's head with the metallic hammer, but stopped when he noticed the rest of the Smashers, still kicking and ready to finish their mission.

"What amazing skills you and your group have, Falcon," he sighed. "I guess I must have underestimated you after all; if we were on more… cordial terms, I would have asked you to join the Lords in the quest to revive the Svärtad Orm. But that ship has sailed a long time ago…"

"Doesn't matter away," Falcon replied bluntly. "I wouldn't even consider joining your dreaded group, even if you threatened Lillian."

The obese man temporarily paused upon hearing the maiden's name. "The young child of the Åkerfeldts, eh? Well, my leader has something in store for her, but that is for another time. Now, prepare to die!"

"Let's go." Falcon prepared to hammer his enemy in the gut, but a quick hammer strike sent him falling into the floor. As a way of providing backup, Charizard attempted to swing its tipped battering ram and nearly succeeded in earning a clean hit, except that Magnus tapped into his raw strength to avoid any injury. As the two opposing warriors entered a stalemate, Peach rushed in with her energy sword and delivered an impaling strike that would have downed any ordinary being, but the Lord's healing ability kicked in almost immediately and prevented death from being a strong possibility. Realizing that Charizard was about to be dominated in its ongoing struggle, the cyborg princess then resorted to swift decapitation.

_SLASH!_

"That should take care of him," she sighed. As the bald man's head soared across the metallic track, a trail of blood, far separated from the carnage of the earlier skirmish, dotted the steel surface in a way that closely resembled an artist splashing paint with a flick of his paintbrush. Except for Falcon, a wave of relief washed over the bodies of each Smasher, who were more than ready to take a long rest after sustaining noteworthy injuries and heavy fatigue.

"Well, I guess we can go-" Red started, but his statement cut off by a hand motion from Falcon.

"Not yet," the bounty hunter grunted. "Do you know what I've just found about Magnus and his fellow captains? Apparently, they are using a magical spell that is stronger than Återuppliva, meaning that burns and dismemberment can't kill them."

"You're joking, right?" Dedede groaned. "Please tell me that you're joking."

The captain turned his head to the sight of his foe's body, which was still standing. "Sadly, no. And I have reason to believe that this spell, the specific origins of which are still unknown, is also what helped Magnus revive himself after he was roasted at Fire Field."

"I'm detecting some vital signs in Magnus's body," Peach added. Ignoring the fact that a dark fluid was assuming the shape of the captain's head, she noticed via biometric scan that the dark captain still had an active heart rate when a normal being would have shown a flat line after the fatal blow. Meanwhile, Magnus's original head began to decompose into a black, tar-like liquid that closely resembled the dark blood of the Lords in all ways except for viscosity. Red and Jigglypuff cringed slightly at this rather disturbing sight, primarily due to the decomposition reminding them of a body part rotting away.

"Die already…" a revived Magnus growled loudly. He began to summon lightning bolts from the palm of his free hand. "_Just die for me!_"

"Try and make us die," Falcon sighed. The Falcon Kick was used to remain low, which certainly helped out in avoiding the vicious bolts that threatened to fry him. Most of the others were not as lucky; Charizard and Peach were pulled down to the track as electricity removed their ability to fly around the area as they pleased. R.O.B., for the second time in the adventure, suffered from electrical overload. Jigglypuff's Rollout was sent careening off-course to the point where the Balloon Pokémon almost fell into the pool of lava. Red and Kirby, the luckier ones, attempted to assist Falcon in disarming Magnus.

"You dare attempt to take my precious weapon away from me?!" the dark captain snarled. His strength, as great as it was, was evenly matched by the combined forces of three Smashers. Falcon was the main opponent due to his leaner physique, but the Pokémon Champion and the puffball also posed a significant threat with their combined contributions. Lactic acid invaded the muscles and all four belligerents felt a burning sensation throughout their bodies, which almost exacerbated their existing pain. Faces turned red as the strain of extreme exertion began to take hold. Falcon and Magnus grunted loudly as they struggled for dominance.

"Go down… already…" the bounty hunter forcefully groaned.

"Poyo…" Kirby squeaked, albeit in a slower manner than usual.

"Victory will not… be yours!" Magnus growled. With a loud snarl, he successfully kicked Kirby and Red away, forcing them to yelp loudly, and would have done the same thing to Falcon…

_WHAM!_

…had the latter not executed a two-footed kick to his jaw. The damage was relatively minor, but the side effect of disorientation was just enough for Falcon to steal the hammer from his foe's thick hands. It was at this point that the tide clearly began to turn; with fast reflexes, the pilot began to pummel his foe with the hardened weapon while simultaneously avoiding counterattacks magical and physical. Red assisted with the assault by sweeping one of the obese man's legs from behind.

"Huh?!" the dark captain gasped. As he helplessly toppled over, he and Falcon rolled to the right side of the track, close to the edge where only a single step was needed to fall into lava. In a desperate effort to protect himself, Magnus electrified his body with magic.

_ZAP!_

"YAGH!" Falcon yelped. His nerves were nearly fried by the potentially crippling attack, leaving him unable to move by the time he was subsequently grabbed by the neck. The pain that he endured also forced him to lose his grip on Magnus's weapon. In seconds, he was left hanging over the very same lava that consumed Deathborn's life many years ago.

"Now, there is no escape for you…" he could hear his overweight opponent growl. To ensure that none of the other Smashers interfered, Magnus conjured a shield capable of blocking almost any attack. Falcon struggled to break free from the crushing grip, but even his strength was inefficient in helping him achieve any success. Faint banging noises were heard as his fellow fighters attempted to break through the barrier.

"Die…" the Lord growled. Falcon was dropped into the lava below, but at the last possible moment, the good captain extended his hands to cling onto the ledge. This was not immediately noticed because of the meager amount of space his hands covered; even Peach and R.O.B., two beings who harbored enhanced vision, initially believed that Magnus had earned his long-awaited kill. Some of the Smashers stopped attacking the barrier, struck with the shock of Falcon's supposed death.

"Is he dead…?" Red gulped. Heaviness gripped his heart as he adamantly attempted to deny the possibility of Falcon's death.

"There's no way he could've survived that," Dedede sighed mournfully. By this point, his arms were tired from constant swinging, for lactic acid made them far too heavy to be lifted.

"And now is the time to take out the rest of the trash," Magnus growled. He attempted to disable his barrier to garner more kills, but this action was interrupted by a snagging feeling on his left leg.

Wait a minute. A snagging feeling? What could possibly be pulling him at his…

"You're going down to the fires of Hell," Falcon announced, his arms latched onto his foe's closer leg. With all the strength that was left, his lower body began pressing against the track in an effort to pull the Lord down. The cracked ankle now ached more than ever before, almost to the point where it would break if subjected to further pressure.

"He's still alive?" Dedede gasped.

"_YOU!_" the Lord roared. His free leg attempted to smack the bounty hunter in the face, but each hit was avoided with relative ease. In the process of having to focus on Falcon, his concentration on the barrier was broken, now allowing the Smashers to push him off the track with their moves.

"Gotcha," Falcon grunted. As Magnus grabbed onto the ledge, he felt the bounty hunter attempting to pull him down, and since his legs were held in place, it was very difficult for Falcon to be kicked off. It was at this point that a thought entered his mind; for the first time in his career as a Lord, he actually felt nervous. With the current situation, he could be easily stopped from obtaining the staff piece and then face the wrath of his leader immediately afterwards. In his own experiences, the leader was the type of man who did not take very kindly to failure, even though most of his punishments were not violent by any means. There were some occasions where second chances were given, but…

The leader was a feared man who was not to be disappointed.

"So long, Hedin," Falcon muttered. He leaped up to the track and, with the help of his teammates, delivered one final strike that knocked the dark captain into the lava below. For what seemed like a few seconds, there was near-absolute silence that contrasted with the earlier battle's noisy environment. In fact, the only audible sound remaining was the flowing of the cold, fiery streams that Magnus was falling into. But it was not long until a distant splashing echoed throughout the cave, continuously repeating for an unknown but presumably long stretch of time. This time, true relief was felt by everyone in the party, including Captain Falcon himself. With no more threats in the way, the mission to obtain the staff piece could now be completed with relative ease.

"That takes care of him," Red sighed. As he spoke, he proceeded to hop onto Charizard's back. "Let's get outta here."

"We better take of one more thing before we leave," Falcon added. "In a few hours, we need to head over to the F-Zero office to obtain the piece."

The beaten Smashers proceeded to leave the ominous cave, departing from the very area of dark scenery…

* * *

_At the F-Zero office in Downtown Port Town, seven hours later…_

"So you want to purchase the Platinum Cup's trophy, huh?" the corporate head asked. The blue-eyed official was an older man, presumably around his sixties, and was dressed in a white suit complimented by a gray undershirt and a striped tie. His hair was a smooth black, something that was fairly uncommon for someone his age.

"Yes," Falcon replied. In the gray room filled with photographs of F-Zero courses, a few college degrees, a coffee machine, several lights, and a wooden desk, the captain was the only other living occupant; the other Smashers were waiting outside the towering skyscraper. "And even though this may sound ridiculous to you, I actually need it for an adventure that I'm currently stuck in."

"An adventure, eh? Is that why you have all those injuries on your body?" The official took a closer look at Falcon's battered form.

"You're right. Anyway, the trophy apparently contains a piece to a magic staff from another dimension known as the Staff of Björn, which is capable of stopping an otherworldly demon called the Svärtad Orm. Until recently, there has been a group called the Orm's Lords, and the people within said group have been attempting to get the piece so they can revive their so-called savior. Some Lords have been sent to other dimensions to get the other four components. Should they complete their mission… Well, you can figure out what happens next."

The official stood up from his chair and slowly paced towards a window revealing the dawn-soaked sky. "Y'know… I've heard about some pretty insane stories in my lifetime, including one where Black Shadow is claimed to be some otherworldly sorcerer, but what you've described to me simply takes the cake. I mean, who in Port Town is going to believe that demons exist? And the trophy containing a piece to a magical staff? That seems ridiculous, don't you think? Finally, I don't think that a cult like the Orm's Lords would even exist, much less attempt to revive their "savior"."

Falcon shrugged his shoulders slightly before continuing. "You should know that the Lords are responsible for murdering the people that went missing over the past few weeks."

"Really, now? And I've heard that Mister Adrian Landon, one of my workers, was one of those unfortunate victims. Before he disappeared, he said to his wife that he saw some strange lights coming from an old building at the city's edges."

"So will you let me purchase the trophy?"

The official regressed back to his chair. "Well, in normal circumstances, I can only hand over the trophy after the Grand Prix's conclusion. But since the stadiums at Mute City and, given from a news report at around midnight, Silence are destroyed, and because you have the most points out of any racer… I'll let you have the trophy for the cost of five-hundred thousand dollars. Besides, there's no way we can continue with the Platinum Cup due to other venues being reserved for future championships, and if you do have a large adventure to complete, then I certainly won't be stopping you."

"You got a deal." Falcon connected his helmet to the Internet in order to proceed with the online payments…

* * *

_At the Smash Mansion…_

"_Leave me alone…_" Lillian whimpered tearfully. Despite morning approaching quickly, the maiden was stuck in yet another nightmare that she could not free herself from. This time, the voice inside her head was more haunting, more sinister than before.

"_You should have kept your knowledge to yourself…_" it spoke. The harshness in its tone of voice was far worse, enough to where it almost sounded like a demon was speaking to the maiden herself. Inhuman it was, and it once again sought to torment her mind with horrible thoughts.

"_You cannot stop me from helping the Smashers…_" Lillian muttered in a weak tone. Just like before, her body could not move, but there was now a suffocating, death-inducing feeling to top it all off. Something was squeezing at her throat, and whatever it was, there was no physical representation of it whatsoever due to the darkness.

"_They cannot stop the Svärtad Orm from being revived… No one can. As long as we, the Orm's Lords, are still in existence, there is no way that you or anyone else can prevent the inevitable._"

The maiden's face began to turn a deep blue. "_Let me go… Release me!_"

"_Never… Lillian… Lillian…_"

"_No! STOP!_"

"_LILLIAN… LILLIAN…_"

"Lillian, get up-a!" a third, Italian-accented voice shouted. Within seconds, the maiden was forced back into reality, only to notice Mario shaking her by the shoulders.

"Mario…?" she gasped. Before she could let the plumber reply, Lillian proceeded to wipe the salty tears off her face.

"You were-a having a terrible nightmare there," sighed he. His current attire consisted of a plain red T-shirt, dark jeans, and black ankle socks. "What was it about-a?"

Lillian placed her pair of white flats on her feet. "It's that voice again… It keeps trying to burn terrible thoughts into my mind…"

"Again-a…? You-a mean to tell that-a this has happened before?"

"Yes, it has. My initial nightmare happened on the midnight before your team returned, and had Falco not been in this area at the time, I would have gone insane from the sheer terror. I am still unable to identify the speaker; in fact, its voice has gotten raspier than before."

The plumber remained silent as he turned away from the maiden. The fact that the same nightmare had occurred more than one was speaking volumes to him now, and there was little chance that both instances were mere coincidences. Something major was behind this problem, but what was it exactly? Was it a traumatizing event? Or was it something more sinister, even if he was not yet exposed to said source? Hoping to find the answer, he reassumed eye contact with the green-eyed woman.

"What's-a causing your nightmares?"

Lillian's face tensed slightly at the question. "I… have no idea. I do not have information on the source."

"If there's-a anything I can-a do to help you-"

"That will not be necessary. Hopefully, this problem will fade away, but I will let Master Hand know about this… just in case." The maiden prepared to leave the living room when she was halted by Falcon's voice.

"_This is Captain Falcon,_" the bounty hunter spoke. "_I have the piece with me; tell Master Hand to get a portal ready._"

"Thank you for your efforts, Falcon," Lillian sighed. "I will inform Master Hand right away."

* * *

_A few minutes later, after the arrival and dispersion of Falcon's group…_

"Lillian, can you remove the piece from the trophy?" Falcon calmly demanded. Within his hands was the first-place trophy of the Platinum Cup, shining and exactly how it appeared on the promotional poster.

"As you wish," the maiden whispered. Using her powerful magic, she lifted the trophy out of the captain's hands and proceeded to slowly extract the staff's left wing. During this, a blue glow surrounded the entire object, which contrasted the warmer colors of the Victorian-styled hall. It was not long until the process was completed, which also resulted in the rest of the trophy being dissolved.

"Thanks," Falcon sighed, catching the floating staff piece from the air. "Now, where's Mario? Is he around here?"

"I'm right-a here, Falcon," Mario answered, stepping out from one of the hallways as he spoke. The plumber did not appear to be angered in any way, which seemed odd to the bounty hunter. But… maybe Peach's love interest was just trying to keep a calm façade for the sake of conversation. Meanwhile, Lillian began her travel to one of the bathrooms; maybe a warm shower could help relive her of existing stress, she believed.

"Look…" Falcon began. "I'm sorry that I allowed Peach to fall into a dangerous situation. I didn't directly cause her injuries, but I allowed Dedede to lead her and the others into a deadly trap."

"Don't-a sweat it," the plumber sighed with a smirk. "You were-a able to preserve her life in the end, and that's-a all that matters to me. If there's-a anyone that I should-a be pissed at, it's-a Dedede. I will-a deal with him later."

"Um… Do you want to see Peach now?"

"Sure, why not?" By request, Falcon led Mario to the mansion's snow-covered front, whereupon the latter was introduced to a new sight, one that he would have never anticipated.

"Peach?" the plumber gasped. In front him was indeed the Mushroom Kingdom's crown princess, albeit as a high-tech cyborg. Gone was her traditional dress, and much of her skin was replaced with an alloy that could withstand almost anything. She was clearly altered by her new cybernetic beauty, but she was still the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom. Out of relief, he strolled over to hug her.

"Mario!" Peach exclaimed. Her heart rate appeared on the right side of her retinal screen, which was revealed to be rising due to the feelings of excitement that were overtaking her. Such a detail was ignored, however, for her mind was solely focused on the one person she had hoped to be with for the rest of her days. As the two hugged each other, Mario could feel cold steel press against his face, which worked with the frozen climate to chill his skin. But he could also feel warmth upon hearing a thumping noise inside Peach's chest… a sign that she was still among the living. Also worth nothing was the sound of quiet whirring that accompanied the movement of cybernetic limbs.

"I'm-a so glad that you're okay," the plumber spoke, trying to hold back tears of joy. "And I-a know you're-a glad to see me as well, especially since I-a also had a near-death experience, albeit from being-a poisoned."

"At least you're still alive," Peach replied, also fighting back tears. "Now, we just need to wait until Marth's group gets back, but… now that I'm here, I think I should leave a little surprise for Bowser."

"And-a what do you mean by-" But the plumber froze upon noticing a cannon emerging from Peach's right forearm.

"I'll be entertaining the Koopa King with my new equipment. I won't kill him, but I'll leave him scarred for life."

A smile stretched across Mario's face. "Really now? If that's-a what you want, then let's-a go entertain him."

The duo stepped back into the warm confines of the Smash Mansion, hoping to fall through with their plan…

* * *

_Poyo… Poyo-poyo._

_-Kirby_

* * *

**And cross Captain Falcon's theatre off the list. There's only two more left to tackle. Next up will be Samus's theatre, followed by Marth's. Then, we can enter the next part of the adventure. **

**Falcon Punch! **


	19. Samus's Theatre: Part 1

Samus's Theatre (pt.1): On the Surface of Tallon IV

* * *

**Now we'll see what Miss Aran and her group are about to encounter on the abandoned planet of Tallon IV. There won't be civilian casualties, but there will still be danger afoot. Let's get this show on the road…**

* * *

_The truth is not always pleasant…_

_In stark contrast to the most positive of ideals, factual evidence can be very ugly to even the most mentally stable of persons…_

_When exposed to the dark truth after living in a world filled with peaceful make-believe, the resulting effects on a person are often drastic…_

_Existing beliefs and relationships can be altered or shattered completely…_

_Thoughts of anger, resentment, and even violent intent can arise in the most severe cases…_

_What may appear as a red rose can actually be its corrupted, black-tinted counterpart…_

* * *

"Are you guys okay back there?" Samus, now piloting her gunship through a portal, asked. She was now clad in her high-tech Power Suit, which was colored with shades of red and metallic orange. The shoulders were rounded in appearance, something that would not be noticed on an ordinary person's body, and the right forearm was outfitted with a powerful, green-colored cannon that could fire energy beams and missiles. The helmet was mostly red, but the visor was a light shade of green. The glow that resonated from the glass-made screen was bright enough to obscure the huntress's face almost entirely.

"This portal is making my head dizzy," Fox moaned. The headset-wearing vulpine was clothed in his standard uniform, which consisted of a white jacket, red-black boots, green trousers, dark gloves, a red scarf wrapped gently around the neck, and a dark green undershirt. His reflector, a hexagonal device that was primarily used for defense, was hanging off his belt, and on his right leg was a holster that housed his personal blaster.

"For once, I actually agree with you, McCloud," Wolf complimented. Like his rival, he felt an uncomfortable wave of sickening dizziness wash over his mind, though his greater resilience ensured that he was further away from the point of vomiting his breakfast. But even so, the shaking was still more than what he had bargained for.

_Whoosh…_

"And we're finally at Tallon IV," Samus sighed. With the gunship free from the portal's erratic shaking, there was now an endless torrent of rain splashing against the windshield. The severity of the current weather made it difficult for the passengers on-board to notice the damp surface below, although this problem was not as apparent to Samus due to her closer position. A faint layer of foliage coated the surface below, its greenish coloring overshadowing all other features except for the small bodies of water. The lighting of the area was very dim thanks to a combination of dark clouds and the sun's weaker influence at this current period of time. From a distant view like the one currently being shown, Tallon appeared to be unaltered in Samus's eyes despite the years that passed since her initial adventure. Even though Phazon's removal from the environment had brought beneficial changes to the ecosystem, such changes were currently not visible.

"Pikachu…" Pikachu quietly chirped upon noticing the breathtaking scenery. The Mouse Pokémon was recognizable by its yellow fur and lightning bolt-shaped tail, with the latter indicating its ability to absorb large amounts of electricity. The tips of the ears were coated with black fur, and its back was marked with horizontal stripes of brown. Completing its appearance were its beady eyes and red cheeks, which formed an image of alluring innocence when combined when its other traits.

"Looks pretty peaceful down there," Fox quipped. "Of course, there may be some Lords lingering in the area…"

"That certainly seems possible," Samus replied. "Now, once we disembark from this ship, we better keep our guards up at all times. The Lords are enemies that we've never faced before, so we don't know their full potential."

"From what that Lillian lady showed us, they don't look too strong," Wolf grunted, displaying his high confidence. "Our weapons should off them in seconds."

"Do not be overconfident, Wolf," Meta Knight warned. As he spoke, the gunship entered the very same landing site that was used for the bounty hunter's first mission on Tallon IV. "We must take Samus's advice to heart and exercise extreme caution."

"Whatever you say, dark knight." As soon as the gunship reached its landing spot, the lift to the top lowered itself down to the floor that the Smashers were standing on. Since the area of said lift was only enough to carry one person at a time, it was only natural that some time would be consumed before the entire group was exposed to the soaking rain. Reactions to the water beating down on skin and clothing were generally those of discomfort and even disgust; the three plant-like Pikmin accompanying Captain Olimar were the exceptions to this, as they felt comfort and strength from absorbing water.

"I really wish there was some dry area nearby," Snake moaned. His gray stealth suit was already beginning to feel damp against his skin, which was the main root of the unpleasant stimuli overtaking him. His brown hair and bandanna also took the full brunt of the weather. The only things that were spared were his equipment, safely contained inside durable cases and, in the case of his handgun, a holster.

"There is," Samus responded. "It's right over-" But the sentence ended abruptly when the bounty hunter noticed something different about the entryway into a nearby cave. There was originally a high-tech door that denied access without the help of an energized weapon, any of Samus's signature Beams to be more exact, but this obstruction was now gone for the most part. A melted outer frame, which had since been cooled down by the rain, was all that remained, and that alone was enough to force a belief into the huntress's mind.

"Someone has been here recently," she muttered under her breath. "I hope I can find out as to who did this, but at least this will save my group some trouble."

"Well, what are we waitin' for?" Wolf spat, frustrated that his body was being soaked. "Let's find a dry spot." On cue, Samus led her group past the decimated doorway and into the drier cave. The cave itself was fairly small, covering only a few meters in all three dimensions, and was parched compared to the outside environment. Dark walls of stone coated the sides, and lighter-colored sand dotted the floor, bringing about a juxtaposition that truly heightened the contrast between each feature's color-related properties. Glowing fungi in the form of mushrooms were present on one wall.

"Man, this place is really caught in one hell of a storm," Fox sighed while drying off his fur. "Does it always have bad weather?"

"As far as my knowledge is concerned, the Overworld does have heavy rainfall on a frequent basis," Samus answered. "Rarely does this area get any dry periods."

The vulpine's face cringed slightly at the huntress's comment. If the search for the staff piece was going to be set entirely within this soaked region, then he and most of the others would be plagued by misery stemming from being uncomfortably soaked. Hopefully, he believed, he was wrong… dead wrong.

"So we're gonna search for the piece in the middle of a serious downpour. Go figure."

"No," Samus rebutted. "There are other regions of Tallon that we'll explore. We're heading over to the Chozo Ruins first. And trust me; things will be much drier there."

"Okay then…" Without anything else to say, Fox and his fellow Smashers strolled into a small hallway that led into the cave's exiting area, which was marked by a melted frame similar to what was witnessed earlier. Up ahead was a small canyon that extended several meters deep into the earth, complete with strange sacs placed at random locations on the wall and a small stream fueled by a shallow pond, itself supplied by a waterfall. Although it was hard to discern due to the low lighting, strange creatures were seen crawling on elevated platforms.

"The transport is on the other side," Samus muttered. Passing through the tropical realm of discomfort, it was realized by the other Smashers that the crawling organisms possessed spikes along their hardened shells, complete with a grayish coloring; the spikes were sharp enough to presumably inflict cuts upon anything that was below a certain degree of hardness. In addition, there were what appeared to be pincers and red, translucent eyes that peaked out from underneath the safety of the shell. Only Samus was able to recognize these creatures as Zoomers; the other Smashers either did not care about them or were unable to figure out their identity. On the other side of the canyon was an entryway marked by ancient, Chozo-esque architecture and moss growing on the stone walls. The travel through the canyon was nothing of considerable interest, until…

_CRACK!_

"What the hell?!" Fox shouted, nearly stumbling at the sight of a small dirt explosion. Hopping out of a newly-formed hole in the ground was a multi-legged Beetle, an aggressive insect capable of digging through the earth with relative ease. The creature's skin was mostly a dark blue, although the mouth area, which consisted of jaws powerful to cut through most objects, was a brighter orange. Wing-like structures were present on the sides, and the back ended with a sharp point that hanged over the Beetle's head. But perhaps the most distinctive feature was the color of its multitude of eyes; juxtaposing with the rest of the body, the eyes were a bright green and harbored a faint light that was still noticeable in the jungle's dark environment.

"That's a mean-lookin' sucker right there," Wolf quipped. As he spoke, he prepared to draw his blaster out.

"That is a Beetle," Samus sighed. "It isn't too difficult to take care of." Within seconds, she fired several shots from her cannon to defeat and dismember the hostile insect. On the final blow, portions of the Beetle spattered the ground and, to a lesser extent, Fox with green innards that harbored a sickening appearance to the group. Predictably, the vulpine immediately cringed and proceeded to wipe himself clean, with the heavy rain acting as assistance.

"Why me…?" he moaned.

"Hey, that'll be the least of your worries when we go up against the Lords," Wolf grunted. "Besides, I've seen things much more disgusting than bug guts or, hell, even Andross's bioweapons."

Fox's face tensed out of growing anger. "And where's your proof on-"

"That's enough, guys," Snake interrupted. "We don't have time to talk about small crap. Right now, we just to focus on the mission, and then we can talk about disgusting things later, though I can't guarantee that."

"Fine…" Wolf sighed, albeit with a slight snarl. While the two opposing mercenaries from Lylat kept a good distance from each other, the entire group entered a stone-forged hallway filled with the same organic sacs from earlier and cracks along the foundation. It was at this point that, aside from the occasional booming of thunder, the storm's noises began to fade away, leaving an eerie silence that was broken only by footsteps. The hallway's air felt cold to all Smashers except for Samus and Olimar, whose suits isolated them from the outside environment, and the fact that they were soaking wet from the rain only exacerbated the uncomfortable sensation. However, the efforts to dry off did not take place until the group entered the room containing an elevator-like structure at the very center.

"Pika," Pikachu sighed as it shook off the water in its yellow fur. Tiny droplets stained the dry floor, resulting in dark spots that provided a slight contrast to the lighter, unaffected areas.

"So, is this the transport into the ancient Chozo stronghold?" Snake asked.

"It is," the bounty hunter replied. "Once we reach the Chozo Ruins, we have to search for any clues as to the staff piece's whereabouts."

The ex-FOXHOUND operative proceeded to remove a cigarette from one of his pockets before lighting it up. "I hope we don't run into any Lords while we do so."

"It seems unlikely. Besides, I have a reason to believe that they may be the ones responsible for melting down the doors we've seen so far. In my last exploration of this planet, there were doors that prevented access without the use of my Beams."

"Pika-pika?" Pikachu asked, hoping to find the reason behind Samus's earlier statement.

"I can't think of any other group that would be scavenging the planet at this time; the last time I checked, the Galactic Federation didn't have any plans to explore Tallon. But regardless of who we're dealing with, we just need to approach this mission with extreme caution."

"I definitely agree with you on that," Fox sighed. Wasting no time, the Smashers boarded the transport, with Samus stepping onto the holographic representation of said transport. A downward pull tugged on the travelers' bodies as the platform, constructed long ago by the Chozo, ascended into the dry assortment of ruins. For a few seconds, nothing was said between the fighters due to a lack of interesting topics to speak about. However, there was but one thought that possessed the strength to linger inside their minds for an extended period of time; with one of Fox's earlier comments in consideration, it was indeed possible that the Lords were hiding somewhere on Tallon IV, and they could just as easily be waiting for unlucky passerby to venture right into their traps. The lack of any advanced information on the dark cultists only strengthened this belief, as there was no surefire way for the Smashers to prepare for ambushes of any sort. Unless…

"Maybe we should ask Lillian about the Lords," Samus muttered, her voice partially muffled by her helmet.

"And for what reason?" Meta Knight questioned, his voice filled with interest.

As the huntress prepared to answer, the elevator finally reached its supposedly deserted destination. "We need to get some greater insight on the Lords, just in case we have the misfortune of running into them."

"It's better to be prepared than dead," Olimar squeaked. The Hocotatian was a more unique character among all the Smashers; he was much shorter in comparison, surpassing only a few in height, and his facial features gave rise to an original complexion. Pointed ears, constantly closed eyelids, a hilariously larger nose, and few strands of pointed hair were the primary indicators of his existence, though his suit was also a standout compared to the attire worn by other Smashers. His suit was a pale yellow, save for the red gloves and the white undersides of the boots, and it was equipped with a helmet to prevent oxygen, toxic to Hocotatian life, from entering his nostrils. The helmet itself was recognizable by a glowing antenna at the top and a whistle at the mouth area.

"Well, someone has to contact her," Snake demanded. While the former operative then placed his cigarette inside his mouth, Samus proceeded to connect to the mysterious maiden via telepathy. While the entire group stepped into the first area of the sand-filled ruins, a voice suddenly echoed inside the bounty hunter's mind:

"_Samus?_ _What do you need me for?_"

"Lillian, I need some information on the Lords," Samus sighed. "Is there anything in particular that I need to look out for? I feel like there are some cultists lurking somewhere close to my position on Tallon."

"…" The maiden did not respond for the first couple of seconds. Such silence was quickly noticed by the Chozo-trained fighter, who was curious as to the reason behind a lack of responsiveness. It was possible that the maiden was attempting to recollect her experiences with the Lords, but something still appeared to be off. Was it that she was attempting to…

No. That could not possibly be true, correct? There was almost no way that she would even considering putting such a trick into play at this crucial moment. The probability was very low when considering the maiden's nature, but then again, anything was possible…

"Lillian?" Samus asked, all while guiding her group into the main plaza. "Are you there? Speak to me."

"_I am terribly sorry,_" the maiden sighed. "_I was allowing myself to lose focus until you spoke to me. Now, the Lords' combat strategy varies depending on the situation, but the Lords will generally rely either on stealth or full-fledged violence. If you are dealing with the former, make sure that you and your partners keep your eyes open at all times, because letting your guard down will result in dire consequences. Having enhanced vision capabilities will also help in preventing ambushes. When dealing with the latter situation-"_

Lillian abruptly stopped herself, then remained silent for another extended length of time. As the galactic heroine once again waited for more words to be spoken, a short, barely audible groan could be heard over the telepathic channel. Maybe a short pain was being experienced, perhaps a migraine? There was no way of telling, but the huntress could only hope that it was nothing serious.

"_Excuse me for a few minutes, Samus_," the maiden sighed unsteadily. "_I have to rest for a few moments._"

"Lillian, wait-"

But it was too late. The telepathic channel had been shut down. The lack of information was going to pose a major problem to her group, for without any information on the Lords' weaknesses or general strategies…

"Looks like we're on our own now," she sighed to herself, although Fox's ears were sharp enough to overhear the comment.

"What happened?" the pilot questioned.

"Lillian's having some problems and needs to rest for a few moments. I don't know what exactly is going on, but whatever she's dealing with must be serious enough for her to "rest for a few moments"."

"I hope we're lucky enough to find an exploitable weak point on our own, the chances of which are fairly slim." Stepping down a very short stairway forged from stone, Fox and his fellow Smashers came to realize, or remember in Samus's case, the grand architecture of the main plaza. The walls were around several meters high, approximately tall enough to block out the rising sun's rays, and said walls exhibited signs of old age via cracks, erosion, and the like. A half-pipe structure, which acted as a gateway to an elevated area of the sand-coated floor, stretched itself underneath a bridge woven from tree branches and platform-sized stones. There were a couple of plants in the vicinity, among them a giant tree that had established close contact with one of the walls. Off to the left was a doorway that, like the others encountered by the Smashers, was melted like it was nothing more than metallic butter. While the others immediately continued forward after their period of sightseeing, Samus was caught in a warm aura that seemed to be resonating from this ancient place; no doubt, her connection to the Chozo was giving her a… sense of homeliness, for a lack of better words. The fact that this area was not her place of upbringing did little to disrupt such strong feelings.

"Pikachu?" the Mouse Pokémon chirped. Suddenly dragged out of her moment of immobility, Samus proceeded to catch up with her group in seconds. As the Smashers ascended to the elevated area, nothing seemed to be entirely out of place, until…

"What the hell…?" Snake muttered. Off to his left was a doorway marked by a few slaughtered Beetles, including a more durable Plated Beetle. Green blood and scattered innards stained both the floor and the deformed entrance, resulting in a sickening look that was extremely out of place with the rest of the environment. The Plated Beetle was missing its swollen abdomen, which, according to Samus's past experiences, was the creature's vulnerable spot.

"Whoever's searching this place definitely has the firepower to wipe the floor with those suckers," Wolf remarked.

"Well, Samus?" Fox asked. "Are we gonna find out who did this?" But the huntress was unable to immediately give a response, for there was a faint noise that sounded very reminiscent to footsteps tapping against a steel floor.

_Tap… Tap… Tap…_

"I hear tapping," she sighed. Her heart began to race as the threat of an approaching foe gripped her body. "It looks like someone's approaching."

"Pika-pika?" Pikachu squeaked, unsure of Samus's claim. It attempted to approach the gore-soaked doorway, but stopped upon hearing a faint voice muttering words from a foreign language. What exactly was being said was clearly unknown, but the fact that was indeed someone else on the planet sparking a chilling fear inside the Pokémon's mind. If the intruders on this planet really were the Orm's Lords, then…

"Pika!" Pikachu stumbled away from the entrance in such a hurry that it nearly tripped over in front of its allies. Right away, most of the Smashers noticed that the great amount of concern displayed by the Pokémon could only mean one possible thing.

"The Orm's Lords?" Fox muttered. "Are you sure about this? I mean, it could be some random guy-"

The Mouse Pokémon was quick to interrupt the vulpine's statement. "Pikachu! Pika-pika!"

"I guess we better hide then," Snake remarked. As he and the others scrambled to an elevated pathway leading to a collapsed bridge, two Lords stepped out of the dim hallway and into the more open environment of the main plaza. The cultists were nearly identical in appearance, except that one of them was shorter and had a red variant of the organization's emblem printed on his robe, signifying his status as a captain.

"_My dear captain,_" the subordinate sighed, "_We have not been able to find the piece inside the Chozo Ruins. The ancient mechanisms of this place have been searched thoroughly, but…_"

"_Oh, c'mon now!_" the captain moaned. Unusually, his voice was very lighthearted and even playful to an extent. "_You mean to tell me that this place does not have the shiny piece, the one thing that can make jaws drop in an instant due to its sheer beauty? Really? And what about the native creatures of this dump?_"

"_Sir, some of the native fauna have able to resist our attempts at exterminating them. Our magic has been able to hold them at bay so far, but I fear that-_"

"_I don't believe this. You folks have been able to wipe the armies of our foes time and again, but you cannot handle a couple of inferior specimens? Hmph… That is beyond pathetic. What about the situation in the lava caves?_"

The subordinate cleared his throat to dispel some of the raspy noises in his vocal cords. "_We have been able to create a warp system with the help of our leader's portal experts. The portals created have been able to help us bypass the intense heat that plagues the lava-filled caves, and they have also been helpful in reaching the area known as the "Phendrana Drifts", which is the only area that we have not searched in._"

"Phendrana…?" Samus whispered. Throughout, her helmet was able to translate the conversation in real time, and the mention of Phendrana being the only place where the Lords had not yet visited struck a chord in her mind. It was now clear to her that there was almost no point in searching this place or the Overworld, all while being reminded of the fact that Magmoor was notorious for its extreme heat; with the possible exception of Olimar, her fellow Smashers would be dead of heat stroke or even incineration in seconds. The Impact Crater and the now-defunct Phazon Mines also seemed out of the question, since the former had collapsed a long time ago, while the latter was taken down by the Galactic Federation sometime after her initial adventure.

…unless she was missing something. Going back to Lillian's description of the piece's location, Samus realized that the maiden did not specify which exact location on Tallon IV was the piece resting in. So, if the piece was not in Phendrana, or if it _was_ inside the ruins, then…

_I need to contact Lillian again,_ the huntress pondered. While interrupting her helmet's translating feature, her mind attempted to reestablish connection with the mysterious maiden. The wait, which felt like a slowed minute, was marked by the sight of Pikachu approaching the bridge to observe the Lords… while being careful to avoid detection. Silence was also a noteworthy sign, stemming from the lack of a response from the maiden.

"Lillian?" the bounty hunter quietly whispered, all while joining Pikachu in watching the Lords. "Come on, answer me."

But no voice came forth. This bizarre situation now began to disturb Samus as the possibility of Lillian experiencing a harmful event, whether mental or physical, was realized. Meanwhile, Snake smashed his cigarette against the floor to prevent giving away his group's position via smoke trails.

"I can't understand what the Lords are saying," the aged soldier, also observing the Lords, quietly muttered. "However, I can't assume that whatever sort of crap they're coming up with is any good."

_C'mon, where are you…?_ the Chozo-raised warrior mentally sighed. But after nearly two or three minutes of waiting, there was still no response, forcing her to abandon her initial goal. It was by this point that the Lords had already retreated back into the hallway from which they emerged. Pikachu, with its beady eyes as sharp as an eagle's, immediately noticed this event.

"Pikachu," it softly chirped. It was inevitable that its fellow Smashers would gather around its position to notice that the main plaza was, for the most part, uninhabited again. Cold silence was free to roam throughout, something which the majority of the group took note of.

"So, what now, chief?" Wolf coughed. "The Lords are definitely rearing their ugly-ass heads into this place, and it's not like we're gonna rush at them without knowing how to take 'em down."

"We're going to Phendrana," the armored woman replied. "I was able to translate the conversation with my helmet, and it turns out that they've supposedly searched in every area on this planet except for that particular one. I also learned that the Lords created a portal system inside Magmoor to bypass the heat that's inside the cavern."

"Wait, I remember you telling me that Magmoor's got deadly heat within its perimeters," Fox muttered. "It was during the time that you were detailing your adventures on Tallon."

"I'm a bit surprised that you still remember our conversation from a few years back, but I digress. Yes, it's true that Magmoor would kill an unshielded organism in seconds, and with the possible exception of Olimar, all of you do not have any form of protection. Of course, the portals should help us bypass this problem. Now, we better get to the transport that leads into Magmoor; there's supposed to be a shortcut from the Hive Totem, which will lead us-"

But the bounty hunter froze mid-sentence upon realizing something important. The entire area was designed for only the Chozo to navigate, and none of the other Smashers had the technology necessary to access certain rooms. In particular, the shortcut from the Hive Totem could only be navigated with the help of the Morph Ball. With that in mind, this could only mean one thing.

"What's wrong?" Snake asked, showing concern towards Samus.

"Damn," the bounty hunter grunted. "The path that I intend to bring us to can only be accessed by Morph Ball. There are two alternate routes, but one of them is sealed off, and the second involves a large drop down. I'm afraid I'll have to navigate Phendrana on my own."

"Pika-pi?" Pikachu squeaked. "Pika?"

Samus lowered her head by a slight amount. "You guys will have to stay here and hold your position until I get back. Lillian's still incapacitated, so try to avoid confrontations with the Lords unless you have no other option."

"Pikachu." With nothing else to say, the Mouse Pokémon and its allies dropped down from the broken bridge before stepping into the metallic hallway. As they did so, the rising sun began to cast its intense rays of beautiful light upon the ancient stronghold…

* * *

_At the Smash Mansion…_

"_My head… I can feel it throbbing…_" Lillian moaned. Her headache had started as she was informing Samus about the Orm's Lords, and right now, it was getting progressively worse. Her eyes were becoming very sensitive to light, and her mouth felt it was trying to regurgitate something from her stomach.

"_No… AGH!_" Desperate to nullify her pain, she rushed from resting spot and into the mansion's second floor. It was at this point that the nearby Master Hand, having departed from his office, immediately noticed her distress.

"What's wrong, Lillian?" the commentator asked. Had he not been a hand-like entity, his possible face would have shown shades of grave concern for the maiden.

"My head is in serious pain…!" replied she. After speaking, her cranial pain intensified so quickly that she nearly collapsed to the floor. It was at this particular point that she also heard a strange voice inside her head, one that was not heard by Master Hand; it was very faint and unintelligible, but its minimal volume was just enough to scream sinister vibes to her. While this disturbing event continued, the leader of the Smash Brothers immediately rushed into the medical wing to obtain some medicine.

"Hurry…" Lillian squeaked. In the seconds that passed afterwards, the voice threatened to increase in volume to the point where the words spoken were of greater clarity. And soon enough, the threat was carried out, resulting in the voice being loud enough to clearly hiss the following words:

"_Lillian… Lillian… There is no hope for you…_"

"_What?!_" the woman gulped. "_Who are you…?_"

"_Lillian… Lillian…"_

"_Get out of my head…_" The pain and voice continued to intensify for a while, and they would have driven her to the point of insanity… had Master Hand not given her some fast-acting pain medicine.

"Here you go," he muttered. As the capsules entered the maiden's mouth, the pain gradually began to subside over a period of a few minutes; likewise, the voice began to die away in a very slow manner. Now safe from distress, Lillian began to calm herself by taking large breaths.

"I am fine now…" she gasped. "Thank you for the medicine."

"What was causing your headache to unravel?" the commentator asked. "Was it something that you ate or…?"

"That does not matter, Master Hand."

"What do you mean?" Master Hand remained still upon hearing the comment. To him, it was possible that she was being bothered by the question, but dismissing the possible causes of such serious pain was still a bit unusual. So, why…

"I just do not wish to talk about the causes right now. Now, I will be heading down to the kitchen to get fruits. Maybe they should help in keeping my mind off this situation."

"Okay then. If you need anything, just let me know."

"I will." As the commentator floated back to his office, Lillian proceeded towards the kitchen to find a small snack. As her stroll progressed, her mind suddenly caught one important thought; aside from a few areas, she was quite unfamiliar with the Smash Mansion's assortment of rooms. Maybe she could take the time to explore this place in the not-so-distant future…

* * *

_Inside the hallway leading up to the Hive Totem…_

"What the hell is up with the tilting of this hallway?" Wolf snarled. He and his fellow Smashers were inside a tilted hallway that was caressed with shallow waters and occupied by Plazmites, insects equipped with bio-luminosity caused by thermal energy.

"Perhaps the foundation has gotten weaker over the years," Snake sighed. While speaking, he and the others leaped onto the platform surrounded by water and occupied by strange weeds that appeared to be flailing back and forth. A second leap carried all of them towards the final part of the hallway.

"Almost there," Fox sighed as he passed through the nearby doorway, which happened to be melted. But as soon as he and the others entered the greenish room filled with Chozo-shaped floodgates, aged plant branches, and calm waters, a surprise awaited them all.

"What…?" Samus muttered. In place of the machine that was originally inside the Hive Totem was a strange structure that appeared to be composed entirely out of organic matter. It was mostly pitch-black except for the veins, which were colored a morbid red. Pulsating bridges connected to the ceiling and walls, providing stability to the overall structure. A faint thumping was heard from the very center; to some of the Smashers, it reminded them of a heartbeat. To complete the description, there was a closed hole at the front. On the whole, the dark complex of living tissue seemed to be a disgusting addition to a room that would otherwise be normal.

"I don't what that is, but it's really giving me the creeps," Snake grunted. His face nearly cringed at the sight of the organic blob.

"That wasn't there before," Samus added. "Maybe the Lords added it to assist with their plans in some way. We should investigate it."

"I concur," Olimar squeaked. The Hocotatian did not seem visibly disturbed by the blob, though his mind was, in reality, just as disgusted by the sight as those of the others.

"Oh, hell no," Wolf moaned. "I'm not sticking my hands into that shit. Why don't you guys go ahead and examine it?"

"I second Wolf's notion," Fox whispered. While speaking, he noticed a grimace on Pikachu's face. "I think I might get sick if I go anywhere near it. Come to think of it, I don't think Pikachu wants to get too close either."

"I'll stay behind as well," Snake grunted.

"It's just us now," Meta Knight hummed. "Let's try to get inside the hole."

"Yes, we should," Olimar agreed. He and the other volunteers then proceeded to approach the structure with extreme caution…

* * *

_There's just something about the organic structure that disturbs me greatly, but I just can't exactly put my finger on it… yet. The Lords are up to something with this thing, and whatever it is, it doesn't look too pleasant. Oh, well. I can only hope that it doesn't swallow us whole when we approach it… or unleash something hostile at us._

_-Samus Aran_

* * *

**A possible hostile in sight… and Lillian experiencing a whopping headache, complete with strange voices… Not too pleasant, would you agree? We'll see what's up with the organic structure in the next chapter, and as for the cause of Lillian's condition, that will be for a later time…**

**A/N:**

**-For those who aren't aware yet, Snake is in his _MGS4 _incarnation.**

**-In _Metroid Prime_, there was a mini-boss inside the Hive Totem that was able to summon a highly aggressive variant of the War Wasp (Ram War Wasp) to harass Samus. I'm sure some of you guys have played the game already, but I'm just pointing this out to those who haven't.**

**R&amp;R, like always.**


	20. Samus's Theatre: Part 2

Samus's Theatre (pt. 2): Chaos in the Hive Totem

* * *

**What's the deal with the organic entity? And what about the pathway to the Magmoor Caverns transport? Oh, you're about to find out in a few seconds.**

* * *

_The loss of a loved one has an undeniable impact on a living soul…_

_The death of a close friend or family member results in an integral part of a person's personal world being removed from his or her grasp, resulting in inevitable sorrow…_

_This is especially true when the decreased soul in question is taken away by a form of injustice, such as the case with both of Samus Aran's parents, who were murdered by the Space Pirate Ridley…_

_It usually takes weeks or even months for a person to recover under normal circumstances…_

_However, in the most extreme cases, the damage done to the mind can be irreversible…_

_Those who suffer from permanent damage will never fully recover…_

_They will generally commit acts of self-deprivation, which can ultimately lead to either insanity or death…_

* * *

Samus, accompanied by Meta Knight and Olimar, came within close proximity of the organic blob in a matter of seconds. The pulsating property of the strange entity provoked disgust inside the minds of the three, disgust that was thinly veiled by cold, emotionless façades. They were attempting to retain their cool, but the possibility of them revealing a sign of discomfort was not entirely out of the question, as Samus came to believe. The faint thumping from before was now louder, almost sounding like a distant earthquake. This would have caused any lesser being to back away in fear, but Samus and her companions were no strangers to danger.

"Ready?" the bounty hunter asked. A simple nod was all that Meta Knight and Olimar delivered in response, and with this in consideration, the trio closed the distance between the blob's hole and themselves. Hoping for the best and fearing the worst, the huntress burrowed her free hand deep inside; a heavy squelching noise echoed throughout the hall, sounding very reminiscent to a soaked sponge being squeezed to the point of total suffocation. Pikachu struggled to resist closing its eyes when the wretched noise entered its ears, though Fox, Snake, and even Wolf felt just as uneasy. With Samus, the hole's upper wall weighed down on her arm, making it difficult for her to dig inside the structure. As a precaution, the huntress set her visor to scan the blob; it only took a few seconds for the analysis to be completed, but what she got was something of a surprise to her:

_Scan completed. Origin of organic entity unknown. Multiple unidentifiable organisms located in the complex. _

The last bit was what truly caught her attention. Multiple organisms of unknown origin? Whatever these creatures were, it was unlikely, if not outright impossible, that they were natives to Tallon IV. On top of that, no hint of their biology or behavior was noted in the scan, so there was no known way of dealing with them if they revealed themselves to be hostile. Regardless of these concerning facts, however, Samus continued to reach into the blob's interior. But, without any sort of warning whatsoever…

_RRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!_

"Oh, son of a bitch…!" Wolf snarled. Had he not shielded his ears in time, the horrible noise that emerged from the organic complex, which was comparable to a demon screeching, would have inflicted permanent damage. All other Smashers except Samus, who withdrew her arm out of surprise, and the leaping Olimar, whose helmet muffled the terrible noise, were also forced to cover their ears.

"Pika…" Pikachu grunted as it felt pain in its ears. Such pain, however, would be the least of its worries when the blob's hole stretched itself open to reveal a swarm of hellish creatures within the morbid interior. To say that the residents of the organic formation were hideous was a considerable understatement; they were vaguely insectoid in appearance, with six legs protruding from each side in threes and wings attached firmly to the back, but the colors that tinted their bodies were unnatural shades of red, purple, green, and black. Such a combination gave off vibes of stomach-twisting disgust to the fighters, which was exacerbated by how bloody the insects appeared. Sharp, absolutely straight horns emerged from the top of each insectoid's head, and the mouth could be best characterized as a circular hole with rows of sharp teeth on the edges. Sharp stingers protruded from each creature's abdomen. A partial exoskeleton that was horribly wrinkled in appearance helped to reinforce the body. But the most fear-inducing aspect about the insectoids was the way the eyes appeared.

They were completely black, devoid of any kindness or life, and they always remained wide open, making their gaze all the more terrifying.

"What the fuck…" Snake gasped. Even as a soldier who had successfully defeated Metal Gears, deadly cyborgs, Subspace entities, and foes far beyond the strength of normal humans, he felt unnerved from staring into the voids that peered right back at him. There was not a single time in his life where he actually felt chills from the mere sight of his enemies… until now.

"I got a bad feeling about this," Fox muttered. Nearby, Pikachu gathered electricity on its cheeks as it prepared to strike with full ferocity.

"Get ready!" Samus announced. But no sooner had she spoken than the insects initiated their assault on the Smashers, with loud buzzing and screeching to boot. Fox, Wolf, and Snake immediately drew their respective pistols, all of them set to kill, and began firing away, but nearly every foe was able to avoid the plethora of speeding lasers and steel bullets. A few were hit, but their unnoticed regenerative powers immediately kicked in to repair the damage sustained. Pikachu unleashed a wicked burst of Thunderbolt at three out of nearly one hundred and fifty insect-like monsters, forcing them to drop out of the air like slaughtered flies. Olimar attempted to strike with a chain of Pikmin, but the attack's range was too short for the Hocotatian to earn a clean hit. In return, a single enemy grabbed him by the helmet before launching him into the top of the organic blob, where some of the other insectoids remained.

"Gotcha," Wolf quipped as he executed a foe with a headshot and wounded another with a precise shot to the abdomen. But it was at this point that he quickly noticed the not-yet-defeated insect heal with Återuppliva, the name of which remained unknown to the ruthless mercenary.

"What?" he gasped. "How's it healin' so fast?"

_SHINK!_

"Hrgh!" The eyepatch-wearing lupine barely resisted the temptation to yell as he felt a stinger, flying from behind, tear a deep cut across his shoulder. Not one to succumb easily, he ignored his pain and quickly shot a few insectoids in the abdomen, with accompanying fire from his vulpine rival. On the other side of the field, Samus fired off several shots that killed one foe and injured several more.

"I shall strike like the fiercest of winds," Meta Knight proclaimed while simultaneously brandishing Galaxia. As his cape transformed into a pair of flight-ready wings, he was able to avoid a fatal blow from an incoming foe, albeit barely due to said foe's absurd speed, before replying in the best manner for the situation: a swift removal of the fear-inducing head from the rest of the body. His sword was able to tear through five more opponents, but while attempting to tear apart a sixth, his left wing was pierced by a launched stinger, forcing him to collide into Snake. In the process, one of Snake's fired bullets was deflected by the mysterious warrior's faceplate, with the hazardous projectile's path redirected into a wall.

_WHAM!_

"Damn!" the ex-FOXHOUND member yelled. While he did not completely topple over due to Meta Knight's low weight giving off a weaker force, the distance in which he was shoved backwards almost came to the point of him being thrown into the water below. Two insectoids approached the duo from behind, and they would have dealt serious damage to the duo…

_PEW-SPLACK! PEW-SPLACK!_

…had Fox not assisted his fellow Smashers in time. Two red lasers instantaneously reduced each insectoid's head to blackened chunks that tainted the clear water.

"Thank you, Fox," Meta Knight commented.

"No problem," the leader of Star Fox replied. "Now, it's time for these bugs to say their prayers!" With Wolf by his side, he proceeded to strike a few more of his foes while simultaneously avoiding counterattacks with swift acrobatics. Olimar, who had recovered from his earlier injury, tossed one of his three Pikmin, a red one, at a creature who was busy with Snake. Upon contact, the tiny plant-creature began to smack its much larger foe with fiery blows that burned the exoskeleton to the point where not even Återuppliva could save the monstrous insect from a flaming death. The defeated creature fell into the water, with the Pikmin leaping off of it to avoid drowning; however, by the time the flames were doused, the damage had already been done.

"You guys mind givin' me a hand here?" Wolf snarled. Although he successfully cleaved a foe in two with a modified version of his blaster's bayonet, which resulted in black blood spraying onto his uniform, the aggressive mercenary was starting to feel heavy amounts of pressure from his wasp-like foes. His physical endurance was pushed to the limits as he was forced to dodge every few seconds, but even his quick reflexes were not enough in preventing some of the even faster insectoids from scoring solid blows on him via stingers and violent tackles. To make things worse, his earlier wound began to swell rapidly to the point where it ached relentlessly. Pikachu was faring better due to its electrical attacks being able to turn foes into crispy corpses, although it took a painful sting to the tail when it tried to dismember a charging foe with Iron Tail. Snake brought one of his trusty grenades into battle by tossing it several meters into the air…

_BOOM!_

…right into the group which Wolf struggled to fight against. Black blood rained from the explosion and tainted the natural colors of both the platform and Wolf's uniform.

"It's about time someone's given me a boost," the leader of Star Wolf grunted. "Thanks for the blast, Snake."

"No worries, Wolf," Snake replied. His gun continued to create loud cracks inside the Hive Totem as he eliminated more insectoids and wounded a few more. Once again, Återuppliva's ability to heal most wounds kicked in, something which Snake now took the time to notice. Like Wolf before him, his reaction was one of shock and confusion.

"How are they healing so damn fast…?" he sighed under his breath.

_WHOOSH!_

"That nearly took my head off." The soldier was barely able to dodge an attack that would have left him impaled in two different places. Another grenade was thrown out by him, but since the hostile creatures were more spread out, the effectiveness of the resulting blast was significantly lower than with the first grenade; only two foes were killed. Meta Knight took to the air again and used Galaxia to tear through distorted flesh, occasionally dodging an attack every once in a while. Olimar and Samus unleashed their combined plethora of Pikmin and energy shots, but while the huntress had no problem getting horrifying insectoids grounded, the Hocotatian's throws were neither strong nor fast enough to maintain a solid hit ratio. Adding on to this problem was the fact that Olimar's physical endurance was sub-par compared to most other Smashers, and so, with each attempted throw came an increase in fatigue. As a final blow, the Pikmin often ran the risk of being swept up by a stinger, launched or not, or a tipped horn simply by being out in the open. If this situation kept up, as the captain strongly believed, then dire misfortune could certainly fall upon him and his trusted Pikmin…

"Not a chance," Fox muttered. His reflector created a hexagonal shield around him just seconds before a stinger could impale him. The attacking creature wailed in pain and was left unable to move for a few seconds, although its wound was quickly healed by the magical spell bestowed upon it by its creators. Fox then leaped into the air to perform his signature high-speed attack, the Fox Illusion.

_SLASH!_

The impact of such an instantaneous move decapitated five insectoids and injured four more. At the same time, Wolf engaged his multi-hitting Fire Wolf to knock an approaching enemy into one of the ancient walls.

"You like that, sucker?" the lupine taunted. Despite pain crushing his body to the point of reduced mobility, his sharp finesse with both blaster and Fire Wolf, a fast-flying aerial kick, then led to him pushing back and even defeating several foes who were harassing Snake and Meta Knight. Pikachu, who had removed the stinger in its tail, began charging up for a deadly dose of one of its strongest moves: Thunderbolt.

"Piiiikaaaaa…." The Mouse Pokémon began to glow a dangerous white-yellow, with the luminosity of this event being strong enough to light at least ten rooms. In the few seconds that it was charging, Pikachu was a living storage of devastating energy that could kill anything in seconds, something which a few of the Smashers, particularly Samus and Snake, took note of. Then…

_CRACK-ZAP! BOOOOOOOOOOOM!_

"_CHUUUUUUUUU!_" Pikachu's voice was loud and powerful, almost overshadowing all other noises except for the electrical attack. A vicious bolt of thunder left multiple opponents dead due to the serious burns, while a few others experienced a decrease in altitude due to injury. Wolf, who was now approaching the bottom of the room, simply stared at the horrifying yet interesting attack in awe.

"Now that is some pretty wicked shit right there," he sighed. As he continued his descent into the waters, a few insects attempted to attack him with launched stingers, but like the earlier instance with Fox, the lupine activated his reflector at the last possible moment. The results were nearly the same as last time, with the only major difference being the increased number of impaled insectoids. Leaping into the air and ignoring his throbbing wounds for a few seconds, he utilized his tipped bayonet to cleave a foe's head in half before tearing both sides off with his claws. On the other side of the battlefield, Samus launched an energized tether beam, more commonly known as the Grapple Beam, to slam a single insectoid against the floor. The force utilized was so great that it completely reduced the huntress's target to smashed paste, with a loud and sickening splat to boot. Two snarling foes from behind launched their stingers, but such attacks only produced small dents on the Power Suit…

_SPLACK! SPLACK!_

…while simultaneously provoking deadly retaliation from Samus herself. Her superheated Plasma Beam instantly reduced the top half of each insectoid to burnt remains, which would have provided a horrible smell to an unshielded nose. Twisting around, she noticed a foe aggressively charging into her, and since it was only less than a meter away, she barely had the time to block the charge with her enhanced arms.

_POW!_

"What…?" Samus slid a huge distance back, almost to the point of establishing contact with the still-pulsating blob. Her feet were able to create enough friction with the ground to prevent further movement, but this action was not enough in preventing an undeniable thought for penetrating her mind. For a small fraction of a minute, the huntress could barely comprehend the insectoid's surprising strength behind a ramming motion, especially when the creature's size relative to most of the Smashers was considered. While she had faced dangerous insects in her past adventures, most of them were unable to exhibit ridiculous amounts of power like the one she was battling. On top of that, this insectoid's physical properties were a combination that was never witnessed to begin with; though its exact origins were unknown, it was reasonable to believe whatever the Lords had used in their attempts to create or alter the bug were powerful enough to produce an efficient killing machine.

_Scrr..._

"No way," Samus grunted. As she slid back even further, her cannon, which was often referred to as the Arm Cannon, suddenly fired a powerful missile that split apart the insectoid's body into an indiscernible number of pieces. Black blood sprayed onto her visor, although it was quickly wiped off. Just a few meters away, Pikachu rushed in with Iron Tail…

_SH-SH-SH-SHINK!_

…and successfully eviscerated several foes into bloody messes. However, the Mouse Pokémon was then tackled to the ground from above. The subsequent impact was hard enough to cause a swelling pain that temporarily paralyzed its small body via the overloading of nerves. Heavy were its stubby arms and legs; while the exact amount of damage was still a mystery to the Pokémon, there was no doubt that the impact inflicted some bruising and possibly a few broken bones. Pikachu's attempts to stand up were simply bouts of torment inflicted by a temporary malady, however imaginary it was, eating away at its nerves. Besides that, the electrical mouse's vision was losing focus due to a head injury from the impact.

_POW!_

"Pika…!" Pikachu could feel the pain inside its body suddenly increase by a near-drastic margin as it sustained a tackling blow from an unseen hostile. Its vision was black for a few seconds, stemming from a combination of its face now pressed against the stone floor and the danger of completely losing consciousness.

"I got your back, Pikachu," the Pokémon could hear Fox mutter. Within the next couple of seconds, there were the sounds of laser fire and organic matter exploding, indicators that several insectoids were facing their final demise. Wet liquid, assumed to be the black fluid that once circulated inside the slaughtered creatures, sprayed onto Pikachu's back, but it did nothing to reduce the painful swelling or help out with mobility. Slashing noises, presumably from Meta Knight, were also among the noises that forced Pikachu's eardrums to vibrate.

_BAM!_

"Olimar!" Snake could be heard yelling. As Pikachu successfully stood back up, it noticed an unconscious Olimar lying right next to the massive blob, with a deep red spot discoloring a part of his suit. Buried partway into said spot was a long stinger, having been separated from its owner via high-speed launch. The three Pikmin, who were very dismayed by their commander and friend's serious injury, remained close to confront the Hocotatian while avoiding detection from the malevolent insectoids. By this point, it now became clear to some of the other Smashers that, despite the severity of the situation, the number of enemies had dwindled down to less than half the original amount; through a quick scan, Samus realized that the exact number stood at fifty-seven.

"Got to take as many down as possible before they hurt Olimar," she sighed to herself, but not before noticing the Hocotatian's condition. With the Plasma Beam still in play, the huntress proceeded to fry six opponents in quick succession. However, without any warning whatsoever…

_WHAM! SPLASH!_

…she was thrown into the water by a combined attack from two insectoids. Due to the water being fairly shallow for the most part, her armored form struck the dirt ground, albeit with somewhat reduced force due to fluid friction. The huntress was not injured in any way, although the attack did chip off a portion of the Power Suit's overall energy. As she proceeded to travel back to the platform, a loud yell from Meta Knight echoed across the room very suddenly such that the Chozo-trained combatant nearly froze in place for a few seconds.

"_HUAAAAAAGH!_"

"Damn…!" the bounty hunter cursed under her breath. Leaping back onto the central part of the battlefield, it was revealed to her that the mysterious warrior from Dream Land had been impaled from behind by an angry stinger. Just like Olimar, blood slowly but surely discolored a part of his uniform, although the latter's more subdued coloring made the former harder to detect in comparison to the Hocotatian's suit. The pain that plagued the small but deadly warrior was so serious that it forced him to initiate an emergency landing. Meanwhile, Snake and both Lylatians fired away to keep the remaining hostiles at bay. Pikachu also contributed to the assault with Iron Tail, but when it attempted to fry more foes with Thunderbolt, a serious blow to the head knocked it into a near-unconscious state.

"Pikachu…" the Mouse Pokémon moaned. "Pika-pika…"

"Fox, go and help Meta Knight out," Snake ordered. "Wolf and I will stay here to protect Pikachu."

"But what about you guys-" Fox started, but a simple hand gesture from Wolf silenced him instantaneously.

"We're not leavin' this spot until we wipe the floor with the rest of these scumbags," the lupine grunted. "Just go and help MK before he gets killed."

"Fine." As the headstrong commander of Star Fox rushed to Meta Knight's aid, Snake tossed yet another grenade into the air, but not before waiting at least two seconds. This delay in action was helpful in catching a few foes by surprise, for there was next to no window for any insectoid to escape explosive dismemberment.

_BOOM!_

"My turn," Wolf chirped. His reflector activated at the moment when no more than five stingers were launched at him and Snake. As luck would have it, and as Snake would soon come to realize, some of the attackers already had stingers buried partway into their bodies, so it was no wonder that they appeared even more soaked with black blood upon being impaled again. Shrieking echoed throughout the room for another short period of time, but this occasion was so severe that it made each insectoid's raspy voice a major component to a symphonic composition of terror and pain.

"Shut up already…" Wolf moaned. Next to the organic blob, Samus fired several missiles into the air, reducing the number of insectoids down to an exact count of twenty-eight.

"Get a load of this," the bounty hunter sighed. After a small period of charging, the Arm Cannon, now switched over to the chilling Ice Beam, froze three insectoids solid; since their wings could no longer sustain them, the monstrous creatures were doomed to have their bodies shattered when they crashed into ancient stone. Snake, who swiftly dodged a deadly blow despite his rapidly aging body, reduced another foe's head to chunks after a well-timed headshot.

"Pika…" Pikachu, struggling to overcome its pain, moaned. With hardly any strength left in its body, it was just barely able to release powerful sparks from its cheeks, which transformed four foes into burnt food for any potential scavenger. A second stinger was fired from the front, but because the yellow rodent attempted to avoid the hit by dropping down, the best the offensive projectile could do was inflict a small cut across the Pokémon's back.

"Gotcha," Fox quipped. With fast reflexes, he shot down three insectoids with relative ease. Turning around, he noticed a stinger flying right at him, which naturally led to the activation of his reflector. What the vulpine failed to notice, however, was that the weapon of impending doom still remained attached to its owner…

_CRACK!_

"AAAAHHH!" A swelling pain entered the vulpine's right shoulder and quickly spread across the surrounding areas like a rampaging wildfire. Blood soaked his jacket and underlying shirt to the point where the affected area felt like it was not merely damp, but outright soaked. As his aggressor pulled away, he fired off multiple shots to ensure a brief victory on his part. But it was already too late; the damage had been done.

"Taste this!" Wolf snarled. Brandishing his claws, he hacked off the heads of six insectoids in one swift motion, all while temporarily ignoring his existing pain. Snake toss one last grenade to reduce the number of hostiles down to a paltry seven. Pikachu, still on the limit of its physical endurance, used Iron Tail twice over to cut three foes into three different segments.

_SHINK-SHINK!_

"Oh, you guys are definitely fucked now," Wolf jeered. With his bayonet, he swiftly decapitated two insectoids before kicking their heads into the water. The last two opponents were shot by a missile from Samus.

"Well, it's finally over," Fox sighed wearily. Indeed, the heat of the battle faded away as soon as the final two insectoids were dismembered to bloody bits, leaving the Smashers with one task besides searching for the staff piece: tend to the seriously wounded.

"Hold still, because I'm going to pull this out…" Snake muttered. The barely scathed soldier gently gripped the stinger that was still plugged into Meta Knight's back, but as he tried to remove it, the mysterious puffball began wincing in absolute pain.

"Not too quickly…" grunted the sword-wielder. As if the stinger was not giving him enough pain, its removal was ever worse, perhaps worse than anything else he could ever imagine; not even the worst foes of Dream Land or even Halcandra were able to deal out such a serious dose of painful sensations, and that was saying a lot. Meta Knight tightened his hands and bit his lower lip to brace himself, but even these actions were unable to fully suppress what was to come, for at the very moment the stinger was completely pulled out…

_SQUELCH…_

"Harrrgh!" There was no possible way for the winged fighter to prevent a loud yell from leaping out of his mouth. The full jolt of pain was as if something had been torn out of his body. Nearby, Olimar felt the same painful stimuli tearing through his physical form, but because he was on the verge of unconscious due to serious blood loss, his reaction was not as extreme, being only a weak grunt of pain.

"Does anyone have anything that can stop the bleeding for Olimar and Meta Knight?" Samus asked, her voice exhibiting great concern for her fellow Smashers.

"I have some medical equipment as well as a few rations," Snake answered. After detaching a bag from his skin-tight suit, he opened up the former to pass some medical equipment, including bandages, a vial of disinfectant, and a suture kit, to Samus and Fox, who were tending to Olimar and Meta Knight, respectively. With some assistance from the aged soldier, the huntress and vulpine were able to heal their allies in a matter of a few minutes; Olimar's suit was also repaired to prevent oxygen from invading his lungs.

"I'll just take a ration for now," Wolf muttered. As he obtained a ration from the bag, medical care was applied to the rest of the Smashers by Snake, with the sole exceptions of himself and Samus.

"Let's keep moving…" Fox sighed, but he was not able to move an inch before something strange started occurring.

_Ssssss…_

"Is that noise coming from…" Wolf whispered, but he did not have to finish the sentence to notify the others, for the hissing alone was what caught their attention. Before the eyes of all was the sight of the organic blob decaying at an abnormally fast rate; the veins lost their glow within seconds, and the pulsating of the entire structure ceased altogether. Once solid, every single portion of the blob, including the bridges, slowly melted into a dark liquid that poured over the platform and contaminated the pure water below. Faint snapping sounds were heard as the bridges collapsed. To complete this rather disturbing event, a foul odor overtook the Smashers' noses, not counting those who wearing helmets or steel masks.

"Yuck…" Fox grunted. After shielding his nose, he could only watch as the organic blob finally completed its decomposition within the next few seconds. All that was left was the unobstructed pathway to the transport, marked by a melted entryway, and a black liquid that appeared semi-viscous.

"Let's move," Samus ordered. Passing up the black liquid, the Smashers proceeded into a small room with orange lights that provided moderate luminosity, but as they did so, they noticing something out of place.

"I wonder who did this…" Snake grunted. At the front of the room was a large tunnel that appeared to be created at a very recent time. The pathway was marked by a sharp turn to the right and was without any light. Jagged ridges and cracks were present on the floor, ceiling, and both walls, which harbored no defined edges. A cool wind crawled out from the other side, giving some of the Smashers a few chills.

"Most likely the Lords," Samus replied. The travel through the dark tunnel was nothing special, although Fox had to activate the flashlight on his blaster for better visibility. Following a slight turn to the left, the group was introduced to a moderately large room with orange lights at the corners and a thin gap traversing the full length of the floor. Faint, jaded areas in the shape of long rectangles were present on the nearest wall; Samus recognized said areas to be the remains of higher pathways. At the opposite end was a mysterious platform of Lord-related origin. The circular platform was an olive green, and at the very center was the printed insignia of the Orm's Lords. At closer glance, the device, which could only hold up to two people, was revealed to be forged from hard steel.

"And what is that doing here…?" Wolf puffed. As he and Fox stepped on, a low humming abruptly entered into the room's auditory landscape, which was then followed by the platform quickly lifting several meters off the ground. The other Smashers noticed a white glow from the platform's underside, a stark contrast to the color that the Lords were usually known for.

"Yikes!" Fox gasped. The sudden lift into the air nearly caused him to lose his balance, but this problem was largely ignored because of a new sight in front of him: a tunnel, this one shorter than the last, leading up to the room where the transport was at. When the vulpine and his lupine rival stepped off, the platform dropped back into its original position, allowing the other Smashers to utilize it. In order to avoid overtaxing the platform's system, the Smashers had to be paired in groups, excluding the unpaired Snake.

"This is it," Samus muttered. The stroll towards the room was short, although the injured Olimar had to be supported along the way. All seven Smashers would have immediately stepped onto the transport afterwards, but then…

"Hey! What are you fellows doing here?"

The playful-sounding voice forced all Smashers to rotate to their right. What they witnessed was an unfamiliar character, one that they had expected to appear on this planet. The character in question was a younger man with blond hair curled into locks and hazel eyes that emitted a relaxed aura. He was dressed in gray trousers that extended down to the middle of his calves, a white button-down shirt with long sleeves, a black belt, and black dress shoes. The man himself was moderately short, surpassing only Pikachu, Olimar, and Meta Knight in height. His presence alone begged a few questions inside each Smasher's mind:

Just what was he doing here? And how did he come to know of Tallon IV's existence?

Hoping to strike up a conversation that could possibly reveal the answers, Samus asked the following:

"Who are you?"

* * *

_So we now have a random guy wandering around the Chozo Ruins. I don't know what his intentions are, but I sincerely hope he doesn't pull any… tricks on us. If he does, I'll split his head open with the tip of my blaster. And as for the organic blob that we saw earlier… Well, I hope Lillian can give us some insight on that soon, assuming that she wakes up within the next few hours._

_-Wolf O'Donnell_

* * *

**We have a new character entering the theatre, but who is he exactly? That will be revealed in the next part. **

**Samus and her group are a little beaten from the previous battle, but things can't possibly get any worse from there, right...?**

**R&amp;R.**


	21. Samus's Theatre: Part 3

Samus's Theatre (pt. 3): A Turn for the Worse

* * *

**And here's the trek into the Magmoor Caverns, which will lead up to Phendrana. Our mysterious newcomer will have his fine introduction, but what are his intentions?**

* * *

_Contrary to common belief, light and dark are not inherently good and evil, respectively…_

_Light and dark are morally blind, not bound by the perceptions of societies…_

_In fact, there do exist evil souls of light and good souls of darkness…_

_The true harmony of nature and order lies within the balance between the two forces…_

_When one side is threatened with the possibility of total annihilation, the universal system reacts accordingly to restore stability…_

_The winning side will be punished…_

_The losing side is then restored…_

* * *

"Oh, silly me," the man sighed. "I should introduce myself first. The name's Johan Eriksson, and I'm here to examine the ecosystem of Tallon IV for my independent studies. What brings you interesting fellows here?"

"We're on an important mission to obtain a piece of the Staff of Björn, a powerful artifact that can banish an evil entity known as the Svärtad Orm," Samus replied. "Are you familiar with either?"

The young man, now identified as Johan, paused for a few seconds. During this period of silence, some of the Smashers noticed an unusual facial expression in the form of a small smirk; why he was even showing off a smile to begin with was not yet clear to them, and they certainly had not the time to figure out the reason when he finally spoke.

"I think I may have heard of it somewhere, but where…? Oh, where? Gotta get my memory jogging here…" A minute soon passed, resulting in one particular Smasher losing his patience.

"Well?" Wolf snarled lowly. "Are you gonna give us the answer or not?"

Johan shrugged his shoulders slightly. "Oh, never you mind. I'm probably just getting the staff confused with something else, but hey. At least the people from the other side of the hidden screen might have better knowledge of the so-called Staff of Björn."

"The other side of the what now?" Fox asked in a flabbergasted manner. He was unsure as to what the mysterious man meant by "the other side of the screen". Was he losing himself for a moment, or was it that…?

"Okay, forget that I said that. Now, you guys said that you were looking for the staff, right? Would you mind if I decided to tag along?"

"You don't look like the kind of person who would wreak havoc upon us," Snake commented, lighting up another cigarette as he spoke. "If that's what you want, then you're more than welcome to join."

But Wolf was not ready to immediately accept the mysterious man. There was something about him that struck the lupine as odd, but he could not pinpoint the source of suspicion. "Excuse me, Snake, but how can we be certain that this guy ain't gonna pull some tricks on us? For all we know, he could easily be working for the freaking Lords, who seem more dangerous than your average Subspace freak."

"How ironic, Wolf," Fox muttered nonchalantly. "When we first started, you said that the robed cultists didn't look too tough, and now you're admitting to how deadly they can be? Y'know, just like last time? Guess you aren't as confident as you usually are."

Wolf gritted his teeth so tightly that there was no room for gaps between both rows. "Piss off, McCloud! I ain't the one who got scared when the damn Beetle jumped out of the ground!"

"Pika-" Pikachu started, but its voice fell on deaf ears when Fox quickly made the decision to retaliate.

"Oh, you are so full of shit, Wolf! I bet you were nervous about the Beetle, and I can assure you that the Lords also provoke fear in your mind! And tell me this: which one is worse, a fucking bug or a group of murderous snake-worshippers?"

"Pikachu!" the Mouse Pokémon chirped again. Fox, unable to keep his focus, harshly twisted his head to face the small creature.

"Stay out of this, Pikachu! Now, as I was saying, which one do you think is worse? Pick one."

"I don't have to answer your question, Foxy. Now, you better keep your mouth shut before I have to-"

_BOOM!_

The loud explosion echoed throughout the chamber and nearly made certain ears bleed. A portion of the far wall became cracked from the force of a powerful missile, launched at high speeds from Samus's signature weapon. The other Smashers and Johan could tell that she was responsible for the blast because of, in large part, the smoke that ascended from the Arm Cannon.

"Get a hold of yourselves," the Chozo-taught huntress hissed in a low tone. "If you two can't put your damn feud aside, I'll personally make sure that at least one of you is having a Super Missile for a snack. I know you hate the living hell out of each other, but it would be much better if you directed your anger towards the group that is out to revive the Svärtad Orm."

"I second Samus's notion," Meta Knight sighed, lowering his sword as he spoke. "Internal conflict will only weaken our efforts to defeat the Lords."

"Okay, I'll just try to ignore Wolf until we return to the Smash Mansion…" Fox, now stepping onto the transport, muttered with a hint of suppressed anger. His lupine rival said nothing, instead barely releasing a small growl. As soon as all other party members and Johan were on the circular platform, Samus stepped onto the hologram. Just like before, a low rumble was the only sound clearly heard by perceptive ears; the loudness of such was so great that it muted whatever additional sound might have been produced, be it Pikachu scratching its ears or Meta Knight gently twirling Galaxia with one hand. Johan let loose a small smirk that was unnoticed by the Smashers, which could have been interpreted as unfitting for a situation as serious as preventing the Svärtad Orm's revival. The transport's stop at the bottom of the shaft was marked by a room remarkably similar in architecture to the Chozo Ruins, but only Samus, at least according to her own knowledge since the full extent of Johan's exploration was currently unknown, knew that such an appearance was concealing the true danger that resided within this subterranean area. Passing up a molten doorway, the group encountered a fairly large drop into the hallway below.

"Watch your step," Samus muttered before leaping down. Meta Knight safely floated towards the bottom thanks to his cape, but most of the others were forced to use the shifting platforms to avoid any injury. Johan simply leaped down, and his landing was marked by no damage whatsoever, much to the bewilderment of the Smashers.

"Woah, hold on there," Fox chirped, being the first to notice the lack of bruising and broken bones. "How did you…?"

"Relax, furball," the mysterious man interrupted. "It's a… little secret ability that I have with me. What is it, you may ask? Oh, it's better left untold, although some people may know it… particularly the unseen ones."

"What do you mean by-" Snake grunted, but the soldier restrained himself in time. Johan was just fooling around with bizarre statements, he believed, and maybe they were best left ignored. "I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that last part."

"Pika-pi," Pikachu concurred. Leading the others into a warm-looking hallway of sorts, the mouse-like Pokémon noticed a fairly quick increase in temperature and grounded holes that exhumed sweat-inducing steam from a fiery source somewhere beneath the floor. Going back to one of Samus's earlier comments about Magmoor, it realized that this area was supposed to be extremely hot to where unshielded beings would be fried in a matter of seconds. But while the current hallway was certainly becoming warmer than the entirely of the Chozo Ruins, Pikachu was not experiencing any adverse effects… yet. It was safe to assume that the zone of lethality was somewhere up ahead. Following a left turn and then a right one, it and the rest of the group encountered the first true sign of Magmoor's hellish heat: a lava pit with a stone platform in the center. Also worth noting was a strange, greenish-colored light at the far end, something that Samus did not witness during her initial mission on Tallon.

"I'm guessing this is where the portal is at, right?" Snake questioned.

"I would have to believe so," Samus replied. "For obvious reasons, I doubt that the Lords would place it any further into the caverns. Johan, have you seen this portal before?"

"I have, dear madam," the young man replied. "While exploring this place, I noticed some fellows in dark robes planning to head into Phendrana by using it. From what I was able to understand, I believe they were looking for a piece of a magical staff…

"Woah, back up there, buddy," Fox interjected. "You must be referring to the Orm's Lords, y'know, the guys that we're fighting against. They're searching for the Staff of Björn's pieces so they can revive an evil creature called the Svärtad Orm. If they succeed… Well, you can figure out what will happen next."

Johan's face contorted into a face of what could be interpreted as worry, though some of the beaten Smashers, particularly Wolf and Meta Knight, felt that the expression was too forced to be natural. "Sounds awful! Well, we better get a move on and stop those crazies before it's too late!"

_I don't believe he is worried as he is making himself out to be,_ the mysterious denizen of Dream Land pondered to himself. As the group approached the portal, Wolf expressed a similar thought inside his own mental space.

_That face don't fool me,_ he internally grunted. _He's up to something for certain, and if he tries to attack us…_

"How does this thing open up?" Samus asked. As her hand gently touched the sealed portal, the light flicked erratically and even disappeared for a good three seconds until the tampering stopped. Snake and Fox also allowed the ghost of curiosity to momentarily possess them for a few seconds straight, but their actions wielded nothing of true significance. The portal proved to be an unmovable glass barrier that was as secured as a secret base…

_Vwoooooo…_

…until Johan reached out and executed his move. Much to the shock of the Smashers, the portal expanded into a circular pathway composed entirely of mysterious magic; it was also realized that there was also a blurred image of an icy place, assumed by most of the Smashers to be Phendrana. A low hum rang throughout the room and mixed in with Magmoor's own noises to create a quiet yet haunting atmosphere.

"Pikachu?" Pikachu gasped. "Pika-pi?"

"You're right," Johan sighed. "I wonder why this weird thing doesn't work when you guys touch it. But what the heck, let's keep going, shall we?"

"Pika." Thinking nothing else of the strange event, it and its allies stepped into the portal. As soon as they did so…

_WHOOOOOOOO…_

"…!" Olimar gasped. With Samus's gunship no longer there to protect him or the others, he could feel opposing and unnatural forces literally pushing and pulling him in every direction possible. His head was rattled in an unspeakably violent manner, which led to his vision being distorted to a large extent. A mess of colors was all that he could witness. His stab wound now felt it was being ripped open, and out of every agonizing thing he had experienced back in his native dimension, that was saying a lot. On top of that, there was a loud noise that harbored the potential to shatter eardrums; his helmet was ineffective at shielding his ears. The three friendly Pikmin were clinging onto his bloodied suit, desperately avoiding separation from their leader and friend. Assuming that the others were also experiencing unpleasant forces, the portal's violent nature begged the question:

_Why must it be so violent?_

_OOOOOOO-WHAM!_

The sudden impact with the snowy ground of Phendrana knocked the Hocotatian clean off his train of thought and back into reality. Following a short moment in the flow of time where he struggled to lift his head, he and most of the others came to realize their first exposure to the icy region covering a portion of Tallon IV's space. Chilling waters flowed gently across the depressed portions of the ground and divided the dry land into segments that varied with size and shape. A few stone pillars extended several meters into the air, and all were able to surpass a nearby stone platform in height; said platform also harbored a doorway that was left untouched by the Lords. Off to the Hocotatian's left was a short trail at the base of a platform-coated wall, complete with a small doorway at the end. At the far end was an ancient Chozo temple, still standing after many years of abandonment.

"I wonder where exactly the piece is at," Samus puffed under her breath. To her, nothing seemed to have changed since her last trip to this place, and if it were not for the Lords rearing to ugly heads into this place, this fact would have extended further into the more obscure parts of icy Phendrana.

"Where to, chief?" Wolf asked, having overheard the bounty hunter's last comment. "You said that the piece would be around this frozen wasteland. Besides, I'm starting to freakin' freeze to death."

Samus remained silent for a few seconds. With no exact location in mind, and with Lillian assumed to be currently incapacitated, the only lifeline available was a stroke of dumb luck. Such an option was not necessarily easy or comforting, but it had to be taken as soon as possible. "Since Lillian gave us no exact location, we'll just have to take our chances. Let's start with the Chozo temple over there. If the piece is not inside, then we must execute a full search across the entire region."

"I hope we do all that quickly, 'cause this cold weather ain't good for my fur," Fox moaned. The stroll over to the temple was a short one, marked by a simple walk towards an elevated wall, which was passed over by each character's gravity-defying abilities. Johan in particular utilized a featureless form of levitation to reach the door's height, but this was unnoticed by the Smashers. The door leading into the interior was untouched, never exposed to extreme heat like the ones in the Chozo Ruins, but instead left to remain permanently chilled. Upon absorbing the charged energy from Samus's shot, a hallway blessed and cursed with the winter spirit's breath was shown in full view; apart from the usual properties, the only noteworthy thing was the presence of a Scatter Bombu: an energy-based creature that was vulnerable only to electrical overload. The Bombu drifted back and forth within the hallway's middle section, and closer inspection revealed electrical tendrils that would form around it upon being approached.

"One moment," Samus sighed. Switching over to the electrical Wave Beam, she fired off a small barrage of shots that caused the target on the receiving end to explode and then dissipate into thin air. With nothing else in the way, the Smashers and Johan pressed on until they eventually reached the main portion of the temple.

"Pikachu…" the Mouse Pokémon quietly gasped. To say that the interior was an example of beauty and mystery was very close to being an understatement; the ancient architecture was set up in a way that appeared majestic yet delicate, something that could only been witnessed in few other buildings with a special design; one of the few examples that the Pokémon could remember was the Smash Mansion. The ice, clear as ever, only enhanced the soft allure of the walls despite being an unnecessary addition in the first place. As the group approached the tall chamber leading into the upper floor, it was noticed that a small hole in the ceiling allowed some snow to coat the floor with a thin layer. A statue resembling a member of the bird-like Chozo was also present, and in its hands was an object that was similar in form to a plate.

"Well, going up again?" Johan chirped playfully. As he floated all the way up to the upper floor, the two rival mercenaries followed his lead by engaging their respective flight maneuvers. Pikachu bounced off a pillar of frozen water before utilizing Quick Attack. Meta Knight ascended with his wings, although his earlier injuries made this process painful. With the help of a few platforms, the remaining three Smashers scaled the pillar the old-fashioned way. Another Chozo statue stood at the top, but this one was only a mere child compared to the last. Due to its lower half being intentionally excluded from the design, its height was only half of what the first statue offered, if not slightly less than that amount. No plate was present, only open hands that came together to imitate an offering. Underneath the statue was a frozen fountain with a small hole at the base's frontal portion.

"These cold temperatures remind me of Alaska," Snake commented as he lit up another cigarette. "But they also bring back memories of a... certain incident within that place."

"What happened in this "Alaska" that you speak of?" Johan curiously asked, his Scandinavian accent still noticeable.

"Let's just say that a certain terrorist-related event took place there, and had I not been there to stop it, my world certainly would have been in deep trouble."

"Really? And would you mind giving me more pizazz to your description?"

"Um, Snake prefers not to talk about the event in great detail," Fox chirped. After Olimar nodded in agreement with the statement, the group proceeded to enter the doorway off to the right, only to be confronted with another pathway that was accessible by a small hole. This one was slightly larger than its now-decimated counterpart in the Chozo Ruins, which could allow some of the smaller Smashers to pass through with no problem in the slightest.

"Aside from the Morph Ball, it looks like Pikachu and Olimar can fit inside this hole," Meta Knight sighed.

"But how are the rest of us gonna get in, MK?" Wolf grunted. He grinded his claws together as he spoke in a blunt manner. "We're too big to fit into that stinkin' hole."

"I got a little surprise for you fellows," Johan answered, disregarding the fact that the question was not directed at him. "As soon as the little ones and… Madam, you're Samus, right?"

"I am," the huntress answered.

"Gotcha. Now, as soon as Samus and the little ones go through, I'll be able to take the rest of you with one of my abilities."

"Whatever you say, Johan," Snake grunted. "Just don't be pulling any tricks on us." Samus, now in her Morph Ball form, rolled into the narrow pathway to the chamber ahead, with Pikachu and Olimar accompanying her. Olimar's helmet sustained a few scratches from the stone walls, but his progress was otherwise smooth. Pikachu kept its tail tucked in, but doing so resulted in the bolt-shaped extension of its body getting zapped, not by lightning but by pain from earlier injuries. Meanwhile, Johan wrapped his arms around the remaining Smashers before utilizing his ability to teleport.

_Voop!_ _Voop!_

"Well, that was quick," Fox sighed with a slight but forced smirk. After the untouched doorway nearby was passed, all were introduced, or reintroduced in Samus's case, to the ice-filled Chapel of the Elders. Excluding the stony corners, the floor was mostly frozen water containing immobilized animal remains. While it was difficult to notice because of the ice's coloring, the bottom of the former water pool appeared to be uneven and jaded. Up ahead was a cave-like area that Samus recognized as the resting place of a deadly Sheegoth, widely regarded as Phendrana's ultimate predator. Also worth noting was the presence of a small at the far end of the room; Samus remembered it as the spot where she reobtained her Wave Beam after she lost it during an off-mission accident following the first Zebes incident. Like the main portion of the interior, this area was filled with a frozen beauty that had the potential of deceiving passerby into forgetting the dangers of cold weather.

However, the Smashers were certainly not gullible enough to be ensnared by the allure. Their minds were focused on one thing alone: the still-hidden staff piece.

"I really hope the piece is here," Snake mumbled. "If not, then we're just giving the Lords more time to find it without any interference on our part. Plus, as much I can handle it, the cold isn't all that healthy."

"Yeah, no kidding," Wolf snarled. "Let's just hurry up and do our job before you-know-what happens."

"Let's try tunneling through the frozen pool," Samus suggested. "As far as I'm concerned, I have never seen a piece of an ancient artifact out here, but I think we may find it inside the ice." Switching over to the Plasma Beam, she began her assault on the ice. The shots that soared out of the Arm Cannon were essentially flaming dragons that harbored the power to nullify even the strongest of coldness, and they were not alone in their attempts to thaw out the frozen pool. Blaster shots from Fox and Wolf, Iron Tail bursts from Pikachu, sword swings from Meta Knight, and a few grenades from Snake provided their share of ferociousness as well. Eventually, nearly all of the ice was cleared out from the pool, leaving behind a floor altered long ago by an unknown but powerful force of nature. But…

"What in the…?!" a wide-eyed Wolf moaned. His teeth were bared as his frustration reached fever pitch, a fairly common trait for someone of his personality. "The freakin' piece ain't inside this frozen craphole! Great. That's just great. We've wasted all of our time for nothing, no staff piece, no-"

"Wait a second," Samus interrupted. In front of her was a message written in the ancient Chozo language. Much of it was faded from years of watery erosion and some ice damage, but it was still undoubtedly the work of the bird-people. "I found a piece of Chozo lore here. I'm a little surprised I hadn't seen this in my previous trip, but I'll scan it right now. It might take some time, however."

"Pikachu," Pikachu squeaked. "Pika-pi." As it and the others waited, nothing interesting happened at all. This was probably going to be a very boring wait, the Pokémon pondered to itself, and if that was the case, then warming up would be much helpful for the sake of health. Leaping onto one of the room's corner's, it proceeded to cuddle up so that its body heat could at least delay the onset of hypothermia. The cold ground was less chilling than the snow itself, although it was still powerful enough to chill the Mouse Pokémon's bones. Seconds transformed into a minute, then another… and another. Still no progress.

But then, something unusual began to unravel inside Pikachu's body. A very faint stomach-related sensation was gripping its digestive tract, the exact cause of which was unknown at the current moment. It was likely that Kirby's food had a certain ingredient that harbored the potential to create nasty stomach reactions, and to be fair, certain other Smashers had experienced such reactions before. But this… This felt different, for a lack of better words. The Pokémon attempted to ignore this sensation in order to focus on drowning in its own heat, but such a sensation only grew stronger with the passage of time. Meanwhile, all other Smashers except for Samus and Snake also began to feel strange.

"Hey, maybe I'm just going crazy, but I think something's gripping my stomach tightly," Fox muttered.

"You're… You're right, Fox," Wolf agreed, albeit reluctantly. "Maybe Kirby's breakfast is doing this. I swear, if my stomach explodes, that damn puffball is going to have a lot to answer for."

"Okay, I have a full translation ready, and it appears that the message has something to do with the staff piece and Svärtad Orm," the huntress interjected. "It reads as follows…"

_We have been visited by a strange group of people who claim to from a dimension separate from ours. Unknown still is their exact origin, but their intent was clear as the untainted skies of our home. They requested us to guard a piece of a foreign artifact known as the Staff of Björn, a weapon used to seal away the demonic Svärtad Orm. It seems that they were referring to the very same entity that ravaged our home for years before finally facing defeat at the hands of a heroic warrior. Now that the holy staff has been broken into five pieces to prevent evil forces from obtaining its raw power, the mysterious people are seeking to hide them in locations unknown to said forces. _

_As beings who prefer peace, we shall accept the request of guarding the piece with our lives. As long as we stand, there shall not be another incident involving the cursed serpent, lest we perish under its veil of darkness. We can only hope that the time does not come when we have to fight in order to keep the stability of the universe intact, but there is no guarantee of that. _

"Ugh…!" Meta Knight grunted in a loud tone of voice. His body was now crippled by severe pain, and his head felt like it was going to violently explode. As his legs gave out, he realized in horror that he was not the only one suffering from the horrible turn of events; most of the other Smashers, whose hearts were beating irregularly, also collapsed from the sheer agony involved. Even worse, Johan seemed to be smirking in delight.

"What the hell?" Snake gasped.

"So the poison's finally getting to ya, eh?" the mysterious man chirped lightly. "Well, I was expecting it to kill you off earlier, but maybe I should've given my bugs more juice in their stingers… Doesn't matter now, you're still screwed."

"Are you…?!" Samus growled. Wasting no time at all, she fired a missile set to aim in on Johan's position, but before it could even touch a skin cell on him, he teleported right behind the two healthy Smashers and gave them a very unpleasant surprise.

_BZZZZZZZZZ!_

"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGHH!" Snake yelled. Words could not describe the severity of his pain from the electrical current coursing through his body. Samus could also be heard screaming over the loud buzzing piercing his ears. The others, now deaf, numb, and almost blinded by blurry vision, could only watch on in horror as they slowly became incapacitated.

"Pika…." Pikachu croaked in a weak voice.

"Help…" Olimar moaned. His Pikmin remained close to him as he slowly started to die.

"Oh, shit…" Wolf coughed. As tough as the ruthless mercenary was, even he could no longer support himself for another minute, resulting in his collapse to the cold floor. Before blacking out, the last image presented to him was the sight of Samus and Snake falling unconscious from a painful dose of electricity….

"Yep, you can say that I am a Lord," Johan chuckled, "And a special one at that. Now, I could just leave you here to die, but that would be no fun at all, right? Instead, I'm gonna give you a special surprise when you wake up…"

"_Captain Eriksson,_" a distant Lord called via telepathy, "_We have scouted Phendrana's Edge like you requested._"

"_Have you found anything, no?_"

"_Underneath the cold lake is the staff piece's resting place. We shall bring it to you as soon as possible._"

Johan's smirk widened upon hearing the good news. "_Great work, fellows! Now, we shall head back to the repurposed Glacier One, and I will bring a few surprise guests as well._"

"_As you wish, Captain._" As soon as the channel was closed, and after the Pikmin were easily beaten by a small blast of ice, the now-hostile captain proceeded to conjured a green energy field around the defeated Smashers and himself, which then teleported all souls out of the sacred place…

* * *

_Later, an hour before midnight…_

_I am a bit nervous,_ Lillian pondered to herself. Right now, she was inside one of the Smash Mansion's many bathrooms, this particular one being set on the fourth floor. _I just cannot help but believe that the Smashers are coming closer to discovering the terrifying truth. If they do find out, they will most certainly turn against me… I can only pray that fate will allow forgiveness from the Smashers…_

With nothing else to do, she twisted one of the shower knobs to allow a rain of hot water to fall. She proceeded to remove her flowing clothes, but not before stepping behind the shower curtain for the sake of privacy. Warmth, far removed from the freezing atmosphere of winter, bathed her delicate body, which was saying a lot when considering how cold the Smash Mansion was during the winter nights. After a minute came to pass, she stared down at her abdominal area, which was marked by an angry scar stretched horizontally across the middle. This was one of the many things that the Smashers were not aware of yet, but to the maiden herself, it brought back the haunting memory of her most recent encounter with the Orm's Lords. And it was a battle that nearly resulted in her death.

"_I am not sure how much more of this war I can take…_" she sighed.

* * *

After her bath, which lasted for nearly a sixth of an hour, young Lillian proceeded to dry herself with a towel before placing her clothes back on, starting with her white underwear. Strolling back into the empty hallways of the mansion, she eventually reached the couch where she had previously slept. Before she prepared to sleep, her mind decided to check up on Samus's group. Seven heart-shaped lights visible only to her entered into existence, but upon closer examination...

"_What?_" the maiden gasped. Five of the lights were a dark red, with the remaining two assuming an orange color instead. Something terrible had happened to Samus's group, but what exactly was it...

"_I will inform Master Hand about this tomorrow,_" she whispered. Her mind and body growing increasingly weary, the maiden dispelled the lights and proceeded to fall asleep within minutes. But then…

"_Lillian... Lillian… You will fail…_"

"…?" the woman gasped quietly, forcing herself awake in the process. She analyzed the area to search for anyone who might be playing a cruel trick on her, but no evidence of such was noticed. Besides that, there were very few other people currently inhabiting the building, all of them unconscious at the current moment. Even if they were awake, it was very unlikely that they would have some motivation to torment her in a twisted manner.

"_I hope I can continue the rest of my sleep uninterrupted,_" she weakly muttered, falling back into a deep sleep in the few minutes that followed…

* * *

_Pi… ka…_

_-Pikachu_

* * *

**I am terribly sorry for the massive delay. I had no online connection for more than a full month, especially since I have been going through a recent transition between homes. **

**Well, Johan's got something for the dying Smashers, but how horrible will it be? Also, what exactly happened to Lillian that caused her to receive a huge scar on her torso? One can only guess…**


	22. Samus's Theatre: Part 4

Samus's Theatre (pt. 4): The Twisted Game

* * *

**Let's see what Johan has in storage for the Smashers. What will he throw out?**

* * *

_Religion…_

_While some groups remain peaceful throughout the passage of time and truly do have good intentions, the vast majority have done nothing but divide people…_

_In most cases, religious doctrine allows many to commit atrocities in the name of the unseen Creator, whose existence and true intentions have yet to be seen…_

_Those who do not submit to the ruling group of their respective lands may face persecution, if not the threat of death…_

_Unnecessary wars have resulted in the wake of religions attempting to prove their superiority…_

_Reasoning and progress have also suffered due to stagnation by doctrine…_

_Worshipping the black rose will only hide the horrible truth behind the object's true nature…_

_The red rose contains otherworldly beauty, but it should not be treated as a deity in its own right, lest harmful doctrine is created…_

* * *

"_Attention, all Smashers who are not traveling with Mario or Falco. This is Lillian…_"

He could hear the maiden's voice inside his head, but the lack of physical and mental strength meant that he was unable to respond. Besides that, his vision was nothing but a complete sea of darkness; there was no sense of direction whatsoever, and no matter how hard he tried, he simply could not force his eyelids open. It was as if they were suddenly too heavy to be lifted.

"_The Lords are using a magical spell known as Återuppliva, which offers advanced regeneration to its users…_"

Återuppliva?

He had never heard of the name before, but the sound of it made him a bit nervous. If the maiden's statement was indeed true, then he and the other Smashers were definitely up against a powerful force to be reckoned with. Furthermore, he now had a reason to believe that the wretched bugs inside the organic blob were under the spell's influence as well, for when he shot a few of them, he noticed that their wounds healed up so quickly. But…

There had to be a flaw to this spell, right?

"_It can essentially withstand any injury except for burns, such as those from fires, and dismemberment…_"

So, dismemberment and burns were the only two weaknesses of Återuppliva. As far as he was concerned, his firearms were capable of blowing apart opponents if used correctly, and his grenades were even more efficient in this task. On top of that, most of the other Smashers in all five groups had at least one attack that could blow apart, slice up, or roast a foe. Well, at least the entire organization had something to badly cripple the Lords…

"_Also, beware if you encounter a captain; captains are recognizable by the red emblems on their robes and are extremely dangerous because of their ability to revive from death, alongside additional powers unrelated to Återuppliva…_"

The last statement really struck a chord in him, perhaps more so than the others. He was not sure how many captains there were among the unknown number of Lords, but if his group even encountered one, the following battle would be an absolute nightmare. With added abilities and no known weaknesses, the captain would simply be able to slay the Smashers with ease. Only luck could prevent such an unlucky encounter, but this was very unlikely.

After Lillian stopped speaking, an unspecified amount of time passed by. How long that period lasted, he would never know. But afterwards, he slowly but surely awakened in what appeared to be a high-tech base of sorts. While he was not able to obtain a full view due to confinement in a cell, along with heavy pain in his body, Snake noticed that the larger room was tall enough to be divided into multiple floors. Several consoles surrounded what appeared to be a pedestal surrounded by a force field of sorts, and on top of said pedestal was a portal similar to the one back at Magmoor. This one, however, was glowing a type of sinister purple that almost appeared black. At the far end of the room was a functional doorway, sealed tightly by an electronic lock. Lastly, there were other cells that were embedded into the walls, each of them containing an unconscious Smasher.

"Oh, shit…" the soldier gasped. "This looks bad." Seconds after he spoke, the other Smashers, sans Olimar, began to wake from their slumber, but they were not able to do anything else when Johan's voice suddenly echoed from built-in speakers.

"Hello, my friends!" he announced. "I am so glad that you've awakened just in time for the game. Now, I've used a little bit of good ol' Hjärta to keep some of you alive long enough for all the fun."

"I knew it," Wolf growled to himself. He struggled to sit up due to Igel's effects, and even his arms failed to sustain him for long. "I knew we shouldn't have trusted that sonuvabitch… If I wasn't feeling so numb right now, I'd rip his throat out in an instant…"

Thanks to one of the cell's installed microphones, the captain was able to overhear the threatening comment. "Rip my throat out, you say? Oh, you really don't know what I am capable of, do you? Still, if you are able to complete my game, you may be able to find out in due time."

"What is your game, anyway?" Fox, also plagued with numbness, grunted.

"Oh, nothing much. I want to see how well you can fare against a little pet of mine. It's not all that complicated. You just-"

"Defeat the foe," Meta Knight interrupted. "Is that all you want us to do?"

Johan let out a childish snicker before continuing. "There is more to come, little guy. But for now, get ready for a brawl!"

_Whoosh…_

"…?" Samus, now reduced to only her Zero Suit, gasped in confusion. She recognized the place as the area of Glacier One where she received one of her visors, but that mattered little right now. The cell doors opened up to let the Smashers weakly stumble out, an action which only Olimar failed to do. Meanwhile, the force field quickly deactivated as quickly as a sudden power outage, effectively bringing down the only barrier protecting the Smashers from a new threat.

"Pikachu…?" the Mouse Pokémon mumbled in confusion. The dark portal began to slowly increase in size until it was tall enough to surpass the Smashers in height and wide enough to occupy a good portion of the room's center. Inside the opened portal, a black void was all that the fighters could stare at; it made them feel very hollow inside, for they were staring at the purest embodiment of nothingness… the ultimate form of emptiness. Maybe Johan was just bluffing, as there was almost no way that something could emerge from an empty place…

_WHOOSH!_

…until a clawed hand reached out and almost impaled the nearby Samus.

"Woah!" Fox yelped. Clumsily rolling out of the way, he tried to reach for his blaster, but…

"Huh?! The Lords must've taken my blaster while I was out!" Indeed, his blaster was missing, far removed from the comfort of the holster. A closer glance revealed that his reflector was also stolen.

"Same here," Wolf groaned. "Come to think of it, I don't think my reflector's on me either." Seconds later, the full threat came into light. In front the group was a hideous monster that, unbeknownst to all, closely resembled Lars's own creature. Its skin was the same shade of white, the horns were still present, and the rest of the features were unaltered. The only real difference was the present of an orange titanium collar around its neck, the only polished feature of the otherwise horrific abomination of nature.

"Play nice, fellas…" Johan chirped.

"Okay, now this is gonna suck…" Fox grunted. "Do any of you guys have something that can burn or blow apart this thing? I heard Lillian talking about the weaknesses of the Återuppliva spell while I was out."

"I had some explosives on me," Snake answered, "But the Lords took all that away. The only thing they didn't steal is my knife."

"Pika," Pikachu answered, electrifying its cheeks.

"Galaxia is no longer with me," Meta Knight sighed.

"My blaster must have also been taken," Samus added. "We don't have a lot of resources by our side, but we'll just have to fight with whatever's left of our respective arsenals."

"Are you sure-"

_WHOOSH!_

The mysterious warrior was interrupted by a quick claw swipe, which he barely dodged. With his numbness beginning to fade into nothingness, Fox launched himself into the creature with his signature Fire Fox, but despite the burns inflicted on pale skin, the Star Fox leader failed to force his opponent into flinching. In return, he was swatted away with inhuman strength. Deciding to wait for the right moment instead of attacking directly, Snake activated his suit's camouflage and pressed himself against one of the consoles to blend in. Meta Knight, unarmed and unable to provide any significant contribution, warped over to Olimar's position with his brand of magic.

"Olimar, wake up," whispered he, gently pushing in the process. The Hocotatian did not budge on the first few attempts, which almost led the sword-wielder to assume that the poison already completed its job despite Johan mentioning the use of a cure. However, all worries were dispelled when Olimar finally responded on the eight attempt.

"…?" the tiny Smasher responded. Like most of the other Smashers, numbness was present in his body when he woke up. However, when combined with his worse injuries and slightly greater dose of Igel, he could not even sit up at all. "Where am… I…?"

"Johan has us trapped inside a base of sorts, and we're now against a hideous monster that is out to kill us. The Lords stripped us of our equipment and… Wait a minute, what happened to your Pikmin?"

Upon hearing that last statement, the Hocotatian was struck by panic's sudden grip, for a quick scan revealed that his plant-like comrades were nowhere near him. They were here when he was incapacitated by the insectoids' poison, he confirmed, so Johan had to have done something to them. If they were captured or, even worse, dead…

_WH-WHAP!_

"DAMN!" Wolf yelped loudly. A powerful multi-slap sent his Fire Wolf off-course by the bare minimum of forced readjustment required to send him into a wall. His extended foot nearby suffered a painful fracture on impact, an injury that would have been just as serious as getting impaled by a poisonous stinger. Thankfully, he quickly rebounded to avoid getting slashed by sharp claws. Pikachu unleashed several rounds of Thunder Jolt, which inflicted minor damage, and then one focused burst of Thunderbolt.

_CRACK-ZAP! BOOOOOOOOOOM!_

The damage from the far more powerful attack was enough to burn the creature in several areas and even outright stun it, but it was not an instant kill like it was when utilized against the insectoids. A loud roar echoed throughout the room, and it was strong enough to rattle nearby ears, if not outright make them bleed. The Mouse Pokémon then teamed up with the recovering Fox to initiating a cutting combo…

_SLASH! SLASH!_

…which did very little to hinder the monster. In fact, most of its wounds began to mend at a rate far too quick for any ordinary organism to achieve.

"Chu?" Pikachu muttered confusedly. While it could certainly handle minor cuts, Återuppliva was not designed to withstand burns. However, the burns inflicted from before were still not enough to bring the monster to the gates of death. So, why was it able to withstand electricity-related injuries with no problem at all?

"Pika!" Determined to earn a hit that could at least stun its adversary, it began charging up one of its lesser-used moves: Skull Bash. Meanwhile, Snake finally leaped out of his hiding spot and quickly stabbed his foe with a knife equipped with a bizarre but effective Taser function. The electrical jolt was strong enough to stun the creature for a few seconds, giving Samus the opportunity to leap up and pounce on its skull. However, a single swipe was all that was required to knock all active Smashers except Pikachu into the room's perimeter.

"Ow…" Fox grunted. As imaginary parasites threatened to burst out of his body due to pain, he witnessed Wolf sustaining impalement at the left shoulder thanks to a sharp claw. The lupine growled in pain as he felt his new injury instantly catch fire, and only upon freeing himself did he realize how serious it was. As if his uniform was not bloody enough, even greater amounts of red began discoloring both his uniform and his natural fur. The wound itself was deep enough to create a gaping hole in his body, which could allow the monster to tear his arm off with minimal effort. Pikachu, now ready to attack, launched its body at ridiculous speeds, with a small explosion accompanying this event.

"Pika!" the Pokémon shouted. It earned a clean hit on the back of its foe's head, but the attack only inflicted minor dizziness, which almost proved costly for Pikachu when a retaliatory coup de grâce almost left it impaled in five different areas. Samus and Snake grappled the creature's legs in the hopes of toppling it over, but even with their amazing strength, they could feel lactic acid setting their bodies alight with a fiery sensation. On top of that, the monster itself began swiping at them with its claws, which would have immediately been fatal for any slower target.

"How heavy… is this bastard…?!" Snake grunted in a strained manner. Once again, he brought his specialized knife into play, stabbing and electrocuting his foe in its right calf before tossing the weapon over to the huntress. After Samus tore a deep wound into the left calf, she and the ex-FOXHOUND operative, both ignoring the throaty roar that once again overtook the room, pulled long and hard to nearly drag their foe down. The addition of a swift Wolf Flash at the creature's face was the last nail in the combined attack, resulting in a deep thud that rattled the mechanized room.

"That thing's gotta weigh over a hundred kilograms if it can shake up a room from its fall," Fox muttered to himself. The vulpine nearby had his footing snatched out from underneath him when the tremor's shockwaves reached him. Nevertheless, he was able to gather his composure for a spinning drill kick right into his foe's gut, inflicting minor pain in the process. Samus was about to throw out a kick of superhuman strength, but being grabbed by the foot and then going tossed right into the inactive Meta Knight completely ruined her plans.

_WHAM!_

"Ugh!" the mysterious knight gasped in pain. His earlier stab wound felt like something was digging into the inside of his body, all while provoking a sharp pain to overload his nerves. Olimar fared no better, for when Meta Knight was knocked into him like a bowling pin, his most severe injury made him feel like he was stuck inside a painful hell.

"Want some more?" Wolf taunted. Without his bayonet to support him, he resorted to slashing up the abomination with his claws, but it was for naught…

_SHINK! WHAP!_

…when he was impaled and then buried into the floor. The impact created a hole that extended down by no more than two meters, at least according to Snake and Fox. Speaking of which, the latter adventurer rushed in with his Illusion and earned several clean blows, but on his ninth pass, he was hammered in the gut by a curled fist. This sent him careening into an invisible force field that prevented access to the upper floors via flight.

"Argh…" he moaned. As he plummeted back down, his body felt like it was swelling up uncontrollably, a more exaggerated statement regarding the body's response to most injuries. Although his ears were stricken with continuous ringing, he could still hear Pikachu screaming in pain due to a serious blow, most likely a slap or a punch. On the other side of the field, Samus slowly regained her stance after the brutal hit from before.

"Okay, let's try something different," she sighed. Rushing back into the field without paying any mind to the two wounded fighters behind her, the bounty hunter tapped into her enhanced speed to confuse the monster, who was about to execute Pikachu with a tipped horn.

"Pika," the rodent-like Pokémon chirped, albeit weakly. As its fellow fighter dashed with grace across the room, the monster shifted its priorities in order to slaughter its faster victim, albeit with very little success. Swipes and stabbing motions were frequent and, especially considering the monster's bulk, surprisingly quick enough to impose a challenge, but they were unable to lay even a minor scratch on Samus's limber body. This scene was enough to formulate an idea inside the Pokémon's mind; if it could charge up one of its lesser-used moves, preferably with being noticed…

"Pika-pika," it grunted. Fighting through its pain, it stood back up and began dashing around the room's perimeter to build up energy for a move rarely witnessed in Smash battles…

"Pika-pika-pika-pika-pika…"

"I can already tell this is going to take forever to put this thing down," a recovering Fox weakly whispered. With a burst of the quick Fox Illusion, he latched onto the monster's demonic horns and struggled to hold his ground as tipped claws tried to disembowel and impale him. Nearby, Wolf felt his strength begin to fail him as he desperately fought to avoid falling over; his legs ached horribly throughout, and certain points were even plagued with the sort of pain associated with sharp objects. Dizziness was also a major issue due to it cutting his mental concentration in half.

"Okay, that really hurt," moaned he. "But that doesn't mean I'm gonna hold back now. I better give it the punishment of a lifetime, and if I'm gonna have to do this without my weapons, then so freakin' be it."

"_PIKA-PIKA-PIKA-PIKA-PIKA…_" Pikachu's body now harbored an intense glow around it, with large sparks to boot. With enough energy by its side, it proceeded to slam head-on into the creature's gut.

"_PIKAAAAA…_"

_BOOOOOOOOOOM!_

"_CHUUUUUUUUUUUU!_" The impact of the mighty Volt Tackle emitted a noise loud enough to overshadow the monster's loud roar of pain. A massive patch of burnt skin was noticed by the Lylatian mercenaries and Snake just seconds before another earthquake rattled the room. Most of the Smashers leaped into the air to negate the tremor's negative effects, with Pikachu and Samus obtaining the greatest height. Unfortunately, Olimar was nowhere near as lucky; when Meta Knight attempted to lift off with the Hocotatian in his hands, the tremor forced his grip to fail against his own will.

"…!" Olimar could feel a migraine-like sensation in his head on impact despite his helmet giving him a form of protection. A small cracking noise associated with glass was audible, and even though the Hocotatian could not twist his head around by a hundred and eighty degrees from neutral, he instantly assumed that his helmet had cracked from the fall.

"Try this one for size, big guy," Wolf snarled, now ignoring his pain completely. With his claws brandished yet again, he hopped onto his opponent's face and began cutting thick flesh and even an eye with a level of brutality expected from someone of his ruthless personality. Black blood gathered on his hands and even splashed onto his face and upper uniform when a slash resulted in the monster's right eyeball rupturing in a sickening manner, but Wolf cared very little about the mess he was creating. He just desired to kill his foe, no matter what it took. As assistance, Samus and Snake grappled with the legs to prevent a rampage, but this was easier said than done, mainly due to abomination's ludicrous strength. Fox and Pikachu began cutting at Volt Tackle's burn patch with Fox Illusion and Iron Tail, respectively, but even full investment in raw power could not expose internal organs to the chilly environment of Glacier One, a base long abandoned by the eradicated Space Pirates. Meta Knight, now joining the fierce battle for survival, began his quick approach towards the creature, but as soon he was within striking distance…

_WHAP! SHINK!_

"What in the?" Snake gasped. After watching Meta Knight get slapped away, he was introduced to a disturbing image of Fox having three sharp claws passing through his torso like it was composed of paper. The headstrong Arwing pilot did not scream or even croak weakly; in fact, his pain instantly left him unable to produce any noise with his vocal cords. The world became silent and still for him, his sense of time lost and his hearing drained away from his eardrums. While most of the Smashers temporary froze and then continued to fight as soon as the vulpine was harshly tossed away, Wolf remained frozen for a longer period of time. He was unsure if he was to upset or joyous over his rival's potentially fatal injury.

Ever since the Lylat Wars of years past, he and Fox were unyielding rivals that harbored allegiances to different groups, with Fox serving the Cornerian Army and Wolf himself paying all loyalties to the twisted Andross. Their motives were also different, with Wolf only working for the money and Fox seeking to protect the Cornerian people. The defeats he suffered at his heroic rival's hands only strengthened his resolve to prove his superiority, and after the Lylat Wars, the rivalry had all but boiled down to one motive: to prove who was the better mercenary. But there were a number of events that caused the conflict to falter, among them the Aparoid invasion that nearby sent the entirety of Lylat to an infected hell. Wolf was forced to set aside his hatred of Fox to obliterate something that was arguably more powerful than the Venomians who followed Andross's will.

And this adventure…

Already, the lupine was beginning to feel a deep-seated hatred for the Lords despite not encountering their full army yet. The Svärtad Orm had already inflicted mass destruction and murder upon many realms in millennia past, and if he allowed that damned spirit to be revived, then even he would not escape tremendous guilt if he did not die. From what very little he obtained from Lillian, the Lords appeared to be a very vicious sort of people that would not hesitate to mercilessly slaughter opponents when necessary. Lastly, even though he was arrogant to a large extent, he would not go so far as to allow another Smasher, even Fox or Falco, to perish in times of danger.

In times like these, rivalries were small matter compared to the threat of a great evil.

"Hope you're still alive after this, McCloud," he sighed while staring at his rival's bloodied form. He rushed towards the monster to attack again, but he was easily swatted away.

"I think we better contact Lillian about this," Snake grunted, having sprinted away from the battle and towards the wounded vulpine. "For some reason, I think this creature is under the influence of something greater than Återuppliva."

"Are you… sure, Snake?" a sitting Fox, now pressed against a wall, moaned in a slow manner. Drops of blood trickled his mouth as he spoke. "It could be… that the creature… is just bulky…"

"Maybe, but I'm going to go out on a limb and call her anyway since that's the safer option right now." Opting to act now before one of his teammates was torn to shreds, the aged clone of Big Boss proceeded to set up a telepathic connection with the maiden herself.

"_Ugh… Snake?_" whispered she. "_What brings you to contact me in the middle of the night?_"

"Wait a second, it's nighttime?" Snake was caught off-guard by the statement; if it truly was nighttime, then he had just awakened her at a very inconvenient time. On top of that, he also realized that Johan's electrical prank had left him unconscious for much longer than he initially believed. Regardless, it was now up to him to warn her about the monster…

"_It is. Now, what do you want from me?_"

Snake activated his camouflage before continuing. "We have this monster that's about to kill us all, and the Lords have taken our equipment away from us, so we're having a tough time fighting back. Do you know how to defeat it?"

"_What does the monster look like?_"

"It's got white skin, a pair of horns, sharp claws, and vicious-looking teeth. Is that description good enough for you?"

"_Hmm… It actually is. Yesterday, Falco reported to me that he had battled a creature almost identical to the one that you are facing right now. According to him, the only way to slay the creature is by attacking its heart. The skin will be too tough to cut through without the aid of a very powerful attack, so entering the interior is your only chance of putting the abomination down for good._"

Snake stared the rampaging monster, who was now attacking Wolf and Samus, for what felt like a minute. This task was risky due to the probability of getting butchered before it could be achieved, but if what the maiden just stated was true, then the plan would have to fall through. One opportunity was all that he needed…

"Sounds like a crazy plan, but it doesn't look like there's any alternative. Thanks for the tip, Lillian."

"_Good luck, Snake, and try not to get yourself killed._" With Lillian's final statement in mind, the man who successfully halted Shadow Moses slowly began approaching the monster's position so as to avoid drawing attention to himself. Fox crawled towards the console farthest away from his antagonist and remained there to recover his stamina while avoiding further battle.

"Geez, this is even worse than I thought," he muttered. His hands were coated in blood after he rubbed them over his deep stab wounds, which were the primary contributors to his slow but lethal hemorrhaging.

"I will have to take my chances with this one," Meta Knight sighed. His wings carried him over almost every cubic meter composing the upper half of the room as he attempted to disorient his foe with pure speed. When combined with Samus's active prancing in the aftermath of being kicked off, this left the creature unsure of what to do. It was unsure on which target to attack first, and after a few seconds, it was smacked by a free hit from Pikachu…

_SPLACK!_

…which gouged out its remaining eye. Unfortunately, this also led to one unforeseen consequence.

"_Wrgh… WAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGH!_"

"I think you just pissed it off even further, Pikachu," Wolf grunted. Indeed, with its last eye destroyed, the creature was instantly consumed by a desire to rampage endlessly without taking into account the risks associated with the act. And rampaged it did. Its claw swipes and slaps were now being thrown out in a very aimless fashion, with the majority missing the Smashers, sometimes by a long shot. The few that did inflict damage, however, were much stronger than what was demonstrated before.

_WHAP!_

"Sonuva…!" Wolf yelped. His body was thrown a great distance across the room, all the way to the locked door.

_WHAP!_

"PIKA!" the Mouse Pokémon shrieked. It was thrown right into a console, which then got smashed on impact. Electrical sparks leaked out and even showered Pikachu's body with their intense energy. Thankfully, its hidden ability, appropriately called Lightning Rod, allowed it to absorb the electricity and even utilize it to power up its next couple of attacks, starting with another Thunderbolt. Meanwhile, the hideous creation slowly began to approach Fox's position.

"Oh, damn," the vulpine gasped. "Better get moving." His feet were quick enough to carry him away from the action, but just before he could join up with Olimar, one of them made an erroneous step and forced him to trip. His nose and jaw received the full brunt of the fall, although his wounds also flared up to give him more pain than necessary.

"Can't stop now." Unable to stand up due to the aforementioned pain, his only option was to roll across the floor. Narrowly avoiding a fatal blow from his approaching enemy, he was able to reach Olimar's position in a matter of a few seconds.

"It's show time," Snake grunted. With his enemy now close enough for a sneak attack, he leaped up and stabbed his foe right in the center of its back, striking the spine in the process. Ignoring the painful roar, he proceeded to ascend with the help of his knife, creating bloody spots that closely resembled ink blotches from a pen. Snake's suit was stained by the creature's blood, but this was not very noticeable by the Smashers for two reasons; first, his suit was dark enough on its own, so the blood would be very difficult to notice without a closer look, and second, the erratic motions of the monster blurred out most of the suit's details. After reaching the top of the head, he was about climb down the face… until the plan faltered when he was grabbed from above.

"Huh?!" he loudly gasped. Upon being thrown across the room, he nearly lost his grip on his knife, and it was only through a stroke of luck that he was barely able to keep it close to him. The harsh landing fell a few centimeters short of striking a wall, which would have doubled or even tripled the amount of pain he was experiencing now. While coming to a grinding halt, he noticed Samus getting slashed at the abdomen.

"I got your back, Sammy," Wolf announced. However, he was unable to fulfill his statement when a backhanded strike knocked him out of his Flash. Still not ready to accept defeat, he then launched himself with Fire Wolf, but his efforts were once again in vain. Meta Knight kicked at the head several times, but no noticeable damage was done. Pikachu unleashed a powerful Electro Ball at the creature's face, stunning it and leaving it vulnerable to subsequent attacks.

"Pika!" the smaller creature squeaked. With the power boost gained via Lightning Rod, it fired off several Thunder Jolts from its red cheeks, all of them striking the large patch of burnt skin. A subsequent Thunderbolt only worsened the horrific enemy's pain, but when Pikachu tried to follow it up with an Iron Tail, it was grabbed by its tail, still marked by an ugly wound, and then tossed into the floor.

"Let's try that again," Snake coughed. Before activating his camouflage for the third time, he snuck all the way to the creature's rear-facing blind spot with the help of the consoles.

_I better help Samus before she gets killed,_ Meta Knight pondered, having just witnessed the huntress getting forced against the ceiling by an erratic hand. With Pikachu's electrifying assistance, the reclusive fighter wrestled with the creature by grabbing one of its horns. The task would normally have proven to be far too great for someone of his size to handle, but because Pikachu's raw electricity was preventing the monster from throwing out any significant resistance, everything was much easier. Samus, who was bleeding from the cuts, unleashed a two-footed descending kick upon the nose, allowing her and Meta Knight to pull the creature down to the floor.

"Score one for the fighters," Wolf chirped. "And there'll be more points for us to earn." His claws were ripping through the burn patch, still struggling to heal, and black blood once again dampened his body. Despite the cuts healing after they were formed, Wolf allowed his mind to completely overlook this fact and even proceeded to scratch harder. As most of the other Smashers came to realize, the vicious persona inside of him had gripped his mind and rendered any form of self-restraint useless. It truly was the epitome of his brutality, and not even the worst of Smash battles could represent this. At this point, Fox had regained enough stamina to continue battling with the monster, and he took advantage of this by jamming both of his feet into the empty yet bloody eye sockets.

"How's that for a smaller opponent?" he taunted. However, as he continued to dig into the enemy's skull, a loud roar exacerbated by his position to the creature's vocal cords swiftly shattered his otherwise strong concentration. Despite completely blocking his perceptive ears with his hands, Fox could still feel the piercing soundwaves relentlessly rattling his skull to the point of cursing him with a temporary headache. The other Smashers, even the distant Olimar, were adversely affected as well, but not to the same extent as the unlucky vulpine.

"If I hear another loud roar, my ears are going to bleed," Samus sighed after the creature quieted down. While she continued to pounce her foe, Snake finally seized his opportunity to dive into the belly of the beast. Leaping out of his hiding spot, he proceeded to dive into the mouth, albeit at the cost of several sharp teeth cutting his skin.

"Snake?" Wolf muttered confusedly. "What in the actual hell are you doin'?"

"Did he just jump into the…?" Fox added. But before he could continue, the creature suddenly stood up, forcing the mercenary out of its sockets.

"I don't know what Snake has in mind," Samus grunted, "But he must do it quickly."

* * *

The genetically engineered son of Big Boss could barely retain his grip as he slid down the creature's esophagus. The erratic motions only exacerbated his situation, for they made absolutely sure that he would inevitably descend into the stomach without some form of assistance, of which there was only one. Snake plunged his knife into the organic wall in front of him, creating a deep gash that stretched a few good meters down before abruptly stopping. As he passed through the forged pathway, he could notice the smell of the digestive system fade away, replaced by a weaker scent that was incapable of provoking nausea from most people. Since the cramped environment and the abundance of unpredictable jerking rendered all attempts at finding solid ground impossible, Snake was left with no choice but to cling onto the ribs. The general lack of lighting was also a problem with navigation; in fact, the only source of light was one of last of things that Snake ever expected to behave as a form illumination: the creature's heart.

"So that's the heart," sighed he. "Once I make my way up to it, the monster shouldn't pose any danger once I leave it my kindest regards." His strength kicked in to avoid falling down and possibly getting completely thrashed, and as he approached his destination, his knife was readied for the killing blow…

* * *

"ARRGH!" Wolf yelled. One of his existing stab wounds was caught by one of the monster's tipped claws, resulting in further bleeding and a sharp increase in pain levels. His own claws were ineffective at forcing it to release him. While still holding the ruthless mercenary, the hellish being utilized its other hand to catch Fox.

"_Huaaaaah!_" the son of James McCloud squealed. His stab wounds suffered the full brunt of the strike, leaving him entangled in a fate very similar, if not outright identical, to Wolf's.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu yelled. It launched a second Electro Ball at its opponent, but despite the damage inflicted, Fox and Wolf were not freed from their dilemma.

"Man, this is gonna suck…" Fox moaned, preparing for the worst of possible scenarios. But in a sudden twist of luck, he noticed the monster suddenly freezing in place, almost as if it was unsure of what action to undertake. Stranger still was the sight of it attempting to block out its pain by clenching its chest, resulting in the two Lylatians being dropped to the floor.

"What's happening now?" Samus asked herself.

"I believe Snake is attacking the thing from the inside," Meta Knight responded. As he watched on, the creature collapsed to the floor in pain because of its sudden inability to support itself. The roaring became louder and more painful than ever before. Wounds slowly stopped regenerating altogether. Muscles were locked in place to reduce the pain, but only to fail in the endeavor. To the Smashers, it almost felt like time was slowed down for them to experience the uncomfortable scene, but their perception of the endless flow would return to normal when the room suddenly filled up with an empty silence, that one form of silence that was seldom encountered in daily life…

_Squelch!_

…which was accompanied by a familiar soldier cutting his way out of the defeated monster's chest.

"Kept you waiting, huh?" he sighed. His uniform and hair were now completely soaked in black blood, allowing for the impression that he had just traveled through an organic, life-threatening mess and miraculously lived to tell the tale.

"Woah, how did you kill that thing?" Fox questioned. Curiosity was asking him to receive the secret to Snake's success, and it needed said secret immediately.

"I had to contact Lillian for this one. She said that Falco encountered one of these monsters yesterday; according to him, the heart was the weak point. It took me a while to get to the goal, but hey, it's all worth it."

"That sounds like useful information for-" But the vulpine was unable to continue when Johan's voice sounded over the speakers.

"Congratulations, my dear friends!" The captain's voice was still as lighthearted as ever. "You have defeated my precious weapon! I wasn't expecting you to survive, but what the heck. You have proven yourselves to be quite powerful. Now, if you're looking for the staff piece, there's only one more test for you to endure."

"And what might that be?" Samus questioned. But before she could say anything else, the portal in the center of the room suddenly transformed into a black hole that was strong enough to drag everyone in. Even when some, including Snake and Fox, attempted to cling onto the consoles, the Smashers were eventually sucked in to a dark void that, unlike the portal from before, was silent and blank. The time spent inside was much shorter, clocking in at only around three seconds. Before long, the Smashers were introduced to a new room that was decorated with a glass roof. The roof harbored a Gothic-style feel to it; even when discounting the night's low lighting, the greenish windows were very dim to the point where almost no light was allowed to enter, and it was arched into a shape most commonly noticed in long-standing European cathedrals. The rose windows at each end were also reminiscent to what was noticed in cathedrals, with a circular shape arising from an assortment of columns that jutted out from the center.

Aside from all these features, however, Samus recognized the room to be the external connecting bridge between Glacier One's elevators, each one leading to a lab. There were some significant differences from before, among them the removal of all Space Pirate equipment, the repairs to a wall that was smashed by a tower, and the presence of very dim candles.

"Where are you, Johan?" Fox interrogated. "Come out and fight us."

"As you wish," the young man replied. With the cancellation of his invisibility spell, his original appearance was fully revealed for the first time; while his bright uniform was still present, it was partly obscured by a black robe marked by a red serpent-like logo. His hood was down to reveal his childish face.

"So you must be a captain for the Lords," Wolf snarled. "And that means you've been tryin' to fool us with your bullshit prior to revealing your true intentions, right?"

"Yep," the captain responded. "I'm in charge of the forces out here in Tallon _and_ I was trying to fool you for as long as possible. Needless to say, it worked out quite well. Now, I could just leave with the piece, but since I'm feeling generous today, I'll give you a chance to obtain it for yourselves."

"What's the catch?" Snake questioned.

"Nothing much. Just defeat me as quickly as you can, preferably before the poison gets to most of you fellows. I'll be giving back your equipment for a fair fight, 'cause it's no fair when everything's too one-sided."

"Fine." In seconds, Johan conjured a small portal that vomited out all confiscated equipment, which the Smashers quickly retrieved. Oddly enough, Olimar's Pikmin were also in the pile despite being living entities; they were in the process of waking up by the time the Hocotatian retrieved them.

"Okay then," a rearmed Samus grunted, "Ready to fight?" After speaking, she noticed the captain drawing out what appeared to be an old flintlock pistol.

"Ready? Lady, I'm always ready…" The Smashers and Johan prepared themselves for a fight to the death…

* * *

_Well, as bizarre as he is, Johan actually looks like a dangerous opponent to go up against, perhaps more so than Liquid or any of the Beauty and the Beast Corps. If what Lillian said is true, then I better be careful when dealing with him. However, I was expecting him to be a little more… biased when it comes to him determining who wins._

_As a side note, that painful jolt from before reminds me a lot of a certain someone's torture device. Not that I would ever wanna experience that again…_

_-David, AKA Solid Snake_

* * *

**And we're about head into the final fight of Samus's theatre. How will it go down-**

**Johan: Oh, you want me to tell you the whole story?**

**What the?! What are you doing here, Johan? Get outta here! I really don't want you to be spoiling things for the readers!**

**Johan: But I can assure you that they want to know! C'mon, just for a minute? Pretty please?**

**I don't think so. Just get out before I have to pummel you.**

**Johan: Fine. I'll just take my leave then…**

**Thank you. Now, in what actually matters, how will the fight go down? **

**This monster fight is a bit shorter than usual, but if you're not dealing with the variant that emerges from an existing creature or a monster paired up with its master, then I guess you can get a valid excuse for the reduced length. But I will say that the battle with Johan will be longer…**

**A/N:**

**-If I haven't explained it too well in the story, the area where Samus and her group battled the monster was where the Thermal Visor could be obtained in **_**Metroid Prime**_**.**

**-The variant of Volt Tackle seen here is not the one that activates after receiving a Smash Ball. It is the incarnation originally seen in the **_**Pokémon**_** anime. **

**Anyway, R&amp;R. **

**Johan: And come talk to me if you want the full story.**

**JOHAN!**

**Johan: Sorry…**


End file.
